Credits
From SOUTH architecture
The design pays homage to the raw Mediterranean dwelling by experimenting with abstraction and refinement.
Hellenic Aesthetic Store, located in the heart of Astoria neighborhood in New York City, is the first physical store of the premier platform Hellenic Aesthetic, which is dedicated to promote Greek brands in US.
The idea behind design was to create an immersive space that pays homage to the shapes and textures found throughout the Aegean.
The existing interior was a typical brick and mortar store with its storefront facing the street and the elevated train. The entire new interior is that of three barreled, vault-like structures. Irregular niches and cut-outs accommodate the products either on ledges or wooden hangers and shelves. The store’s white canvas provides a clean backdrop to showcase the brightly colored products and provides a flatness and lightness to the interior design. The entire floor is finished with local slate stone tiles, arranged in irregular pattern with wide joints.
The layout is organized in a sequence of three rooms, the entrance porch, the main gallery and the private room at the back. The vaulted structures are arranged perpendicular to each other and intersect each other by creating irregular openings, windows or passages from one room to another. The integration of the vaults into the existing interior is designed in such a way that leaves the existing brick walls visible. In this way the vaults do not appear solid and monolithic but rather thin, flexible surfaces, floating within the existing shell.