Zone out: Retail interior based on urban planning

The high ceilings and wide spaces of the interior – designed by Japanese firm Nendo – lend an airy feel to the space and allow customers to walk through different zones of the store smoothly.

‘By coming up with a circulation plan as an urban planner might locate new roads within a city, we made careful provisions for people to flow into the shop naturally and move smoothly around it,’ say the designers.

Included in this plan was an extra space between the dressing rooms and the shop floor – a buffer zone – to allow people to try on clothes without thinking of the bustle in the store.

LS:N Global has recently noted the use of zoning in restaurants and stores. For more, look out for our forthcoming design direction on retail interiors.