Aesop University

Photo: Juliana Sohn for Aesop

Photo: Juliana Sohn for Aesop

Photo: Juliana Sohn for Aesop

Photo: Juliana Sohn for Aesop

Photo: Juliana Sohn for Aesop

Photo: TACKELBOX Architecture

Photo: TACKELBOX Architecture

Located in Greenwich Village, Aesop University Place is defined by a series of horizontal oak shelves that overlap and frame an industrial felt surface beyond, a subtle reference to the oak wrapper and felt-like newspaper surface of the walls at Aesop Elizabeth Street.

The process of design began with a system of horizontal shelves stacked vertically from floor to ceiling.  Through a process of subtraction and shifting, individual shelves were playfully aligned and misaligned, revealing the industrial felt surface beyond and defining recesses that correspond to the varying sizes of product held within. 

This space references concrete, oak and industrial felt in its design, inspired by the work of German artist Joseph Beuys.  Together, these elements, along with the acoustic qualities of the wool felt, define a place of calm with a sense of familiarity – a welcome respite from the activity of the street.

The store’s sink was salvaged from Bethlehem Steel’s 140-year-old plant in Pennsylvania. In a nod of respect to a company largely responsible for laying the steel foundations of modern New York, this sink will serve as the point of introduction for customers experiencing Aesop for the first time.

Aesop Nolita

Photo: Gianluca Fellini for Aesop

Photo: Gianluca Fellini for Aesop

Photo: Gianluca Fellini for Aesop

Photo: Gianluca Fellini for Aesop

Photo: TACKLEBOX Architecture

Photo: TACKLEBOX Architecture

Photo: TACKLEBOX Architecture

Photo: TACKLEBOX Architecture

Time for a little holiday break.  2011 has been a fantastic year and we feel very lucky to have met and worked with so many great clients, collaborators and builders.  The following two posts include images from the final two projects (of the three) that we designed for Aesop.  If you haven't been by yet, please stop in and say hi.  Their products make incredible holiday gifts.

Beginning with an idea initiated in the Aesop Kiosk – which uses text in the form of a newspaper to mark a place of information and orientation – the design for Elizabeth Street turns the text of the newspaper inward and focuses on its materiality, creating newsprint walls that will age over time.

Here 2,800 New York Times newspapers have been torn into 400,000 strips which were then stacked to create a soft, felt-like surface held within a continuous oak wrapper.  Just as oak is commonly used to store and age wine and spirits, so too will the newspaper age, turning a light tan, thus marking the passing of time.  In this way, the history of Aesop North America will be recorded within the very walls of this first store.