The renovation of a 40m2 flower-shop in Patras, Greece, by Athens studio Point Supreme Architects. Research on the topic both inside the country and abroad, showed that flower-shops are always over-filled with flora from floor to ceiling, in all heights and positions towards the customer.
The beauty of the merchandise alone stands to make any further spatial quality impossible. Even the ability of clients to smell, touch and examine the items on sale is not taken care of, as plants and flowers are usually placed on all floor, tables and shelves available.
This, together with the fact that the client is a very creative, active florist who likes to adapt to different seasons, Greek feasts and occasions by changing the items on sale and by even making small display installations, plus the limited budget at hand, lead to the simple solution of completely cleaning the space of all previous constructions and furniture and simply placing 14 archetypical tables, which carry all the merchandise, in the middle of the shop.
The tables are all different in proportions and sizes so that each one can relate to specific kinds and sizes of plants. They can be grouped and combined in various ways to reduce or alter the size and character of the total furniture complex.
The beauty of the merchandise alone stands to make any further spatial quality impossible. Even the ability of clients to smell, touch and examine the items on sale is not taken care of, as plants and flowers are usually placed on all floor, tables and shelves available.
This, together with the fact that the client is a very creative, active florist who likes to adapt to different seasons, Greek feasts and occasions by changing the items on sale and by even making small display installations, plus the limited budget at hand, lead to the simple solution of completely cleaning the space of all previous constructions and furniture and simply placing 14 archetypical tables, which carry all the merchandise, in the middle of the shop.
The tables are all different in proportions and sizes so that each one can relate to specific kinds and sizes of plants. They can be grouped and combined in various ways to reduce or alter the size and character of the total furniture complex.
Placing the tables in the center of the space concentrates the customers’ view in a single direction. The simplicity of the tables, clad in white square tiles in combination with the white floor act as the perfect background for the rich, vivid and complex colors and shapes of the flowers and plants placed on top.
The wallpaper, designed by the architects themselves, gives a blurry, graphic image of typical nature forms -a piece of jungle- in gigantic size; After looking at the image for a while, the real plants look more real than ever. Images of birds taken from an old Greek encyclopedia appear to be playing with the shops technical details; plugs, water drains and speakers also seem to come alive and become mysterious creatures of this jungle.
Seen from outside, the shop capitalizes on the form of the building it occupies. The original façade has been revealed and an old, abandoned steel door with an abstract flower pattern has been integrated. Old-fashioned translucent glazing with embossed leaves-patterns fill the remaining gaps offering yet another aspect of the topic’s iconography.
A part of the façade is pushed back, offering a display space outside the shop, in reaction to the typical practice whereby shops spread beyond their limits consuming public space.
Smaller details such as garden chairs used inside, small plastic lizards on the tables and the sound of birds emanating from the speakers, complete the surreal experience leaving one constantly wondering if this actually is an exterior or interior space.
The wallpaper, designed by the architects themselves, gives a blurry, graphic image of typical nature forms -a piece of jungle- in gigantic size; After looking at the image for a while, the real plants look more real than ever. Images of birds taken from an old Greek encyclopedia appear to be playing with the shops technical details; plugs, water drains and speakers also seem to come alive and become mysterious creatures of this jungle.
Seen from outside, the shop capitalizes on the form of the building it occupies. The original façade has been revealed and an old, abandoned steel door with an abstract flower pattern has been integrated. Old-fashioned translucent glazing with embossed leaves-patterns fill the remaining gaps offering yet another aspect of the topic’s iconography.
A part of the façade is pushed back, offering a display space outside the shop, in reaction to the typical practice whereby shops spread beyond their limits consuming public space.
Smaller details such as garden chairs used inside, small plastic lizards on the tables and the sound of birds emanating from the speakers, complete the surreal experience leaving one constantly wondering if this actually is an exterior or interior space.
Thanks 2 Dezeen
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