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Specification Magazine - House of Hackney

05/11/2013

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MRA are proud to be featured in the October edition of Specification Magazine. The article reads: MRA designs London flagship store for House of Hackney FOUNDED IN 2011 LUXURY BRITISH BRAND, HOUSE OF HACKNEY, HAD SUCCESSFULLY BUILT UP A CULT FOLLOWING THROUGH ITS STOCKISTS AND WEBSITE, WHEN IN 2013 ITS FOUNDERS, FRIEDA GORMLEY AND JAVVY M ROYLE, APPROACHED MRA ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN TO DESIGN THEIR FIRST UK FLAGSHIP STORE. Sephanie Srivastava, Director at MRA explains: “House of Hackney wanted to create a space dedicated to their product, a destination for their customers where the beauty of the collections could be seen in their entirety. Central to the brief was the desire to create an environment that would reflect the brand’s nonconformist spirit and its roots in traditional, high-quality craftsmanship.” Located at 131 Shoreditch High Street and comprising 2,000 square feet (186m2), the store showcases House of Hackney’s full product range, including fashion and interiors, together with new categories such as sleepwear, accessories and stationery. Devised as a series of themed rooms: Garden, Fabric and Fashion, the design embodies the brand’s irreverent style and the store is decorated in House of Hackney’s trademark prints. The backdrop features dark furniture in House of Hackney’s signature ‘midnight’ colourway, which offsets the highly decorative product. The style is classic Victoriana with a twist: ornate detailing accentuated by the vivid prints of the fabrics and wallpapers. An eye-catching awning, featuring House of Hackney’s ‘Hackney Empire’ print, immediately gives the store a strong street presence, creating the ambience of a traditional storefront. The House of Hackney logo is picked out in delicate gold lettering, mounted on the existing stone fascia panel. Spilling down the steps and on to the street, an array of fresh flowers and plants draws customers into the Garden Room. Traditional black-and-white Victorian-style tiling contrasts with flamboyant decoration. Space for florists to make up bouquets – with a butler’s sink and brass taps – adds activity to the front area of the store. In the Fabric Room large-format shelving showcases House of Hackney’s richly decorative cushions, while wallpaper displayed on hinged panels shows the full pattern repeat. A library of fabric and wallpaper samples, beautifully tied, and smaller items, such as china, is displayed within shelving near the cash/wrap desk. The desk features a marble top and is defined by globe pendant luminaires. The Victorian tiling is reprised, a change in scale delineating the separate ‘rooms’, while octagonal mirror panelling to the ceiling, adds a sense of grandeur that matches the fabrics. The Fashion Room houses apparel. In the centre, a grand ‘conversation seat’ upholstered in ‘Wild Card’ fabric lends an opulent salon feel, providing space to wait while partners try on clothing in the fitting rooms, which feature ‘Hackney Empire Stripe’ paper and curtains. At the rear, a double-height space creates a perfect environment to show the signature ‘Hackney Empire’ luxury wallpaper, adding a sense of theatre as customers take the spiral staircase to the lower floor. On reaching the Furniture Showroom on the lower floor, visitors are immersed in the furniture collections in a series of room sets. The interior reflects the brand’s luxury style with a traditional foundation of faux fireplace, parquet floor and panelling. Overhead, a grid system enables the creation of flexible display space, where screens can be moved to form different ‘rooms’. Commenting on the success of the design, Stephanie Srivastava, Director, MRA comments: “The store provides a “touchpoint” for followers of the brand and a tactile opportunity to engage and be entertained while being immersed in House of Hackney’s statement prints.” Summing up the project, Frieda Gormley, House of Hackney, says: “MRA has designed a captivating interior for our flagship store. Beautifully designed and crafted, it is a perfect backdrop to House of Hackney's collections – both fashion and interiors.” Team
Client – House of Hackney
Concept Architect/Lighting Design – MRA Architecture & Interior Design
Lead Consultant/Project Manager – MRA Architecture & Interior Design
Main Contractor – Christopher Lewis Contractors