The Role of Interior Design in Retail Gentrification
Today, retail design represents a three dimensional, physical space that aims to market a complete story and an unique experience of diverse brands. As designers and community members, we are concerned by rapid market transformation and methods of design guided by the consumer’s aesthetic appeal, sensory experience and personal recognition. In a field of design where these strategies show the most strength in terms of visual branding, I can confidently suggest that the discipline of retail design is going through an accelerated transformation of practices.
These practices include basic interior design elements like store layout, displays, furniture, lighting, fixtures, electrical work, auditory and olfactory components that constitutes the desired, total package of brand experience in a retail environment.
As an Interior Designer, I believe that the way we design, the methods we use and the concepts we approach are being replaced by other technique and practices that cater to aesthetical interpretation rather than intelligence or functionality. Unfortunately, the profession of interior design and it’s practices aren’t the only the ones that has been facing these changes; the gentrifying neighborhood and its communities are also constrained to adapt to alterations.
In this paper, my focus will be on researching the role of interior design that takes place in retail gentrification and its consequences through all facets of design, branding and the neighbouring community. I will examine this subject through the methods of personal analysis, critical observation, research and conducted interviews. In order to have a vast understanding of retail gentrification consequences in various metropolitan cities I would like to further explore this topic in many culture and countries such as United Kingdom, United States of America and Korea.
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The history of interior design dates back to the classical civilizations of Ancient Greece and Rome to the early 20th century international design and today, a modern integration of design practices in a new field of creativity. From ceremonial rooms to archaic wall paintings, over millions of years ago where mankind was constructing and decorating for common purposes of today; to enhance and personalize the environments we habitat on a daily basis. However, retail design was invented in last couple of centuries. It is a product born from humanity’s need for commerce. Pile believes that the experience of shopping, acquiring necessities has been translated by “the consumer society” into stimulating environments where the shopper has compassion for the brand not towards the product. Pile makes another good point; with the power of design, the conventional department stores are being rejected by “specialty retailers,” where the interior design of the space is addressing “particular markets defined by age, economic status and occupation and leisure pursuit.” These evident transformations in market, branding and consumption, directly relates to the practices used in interior design.
The role of interior design that plays in a retail environment is crucial. Besides simplest design elements that can come to mind, like furniture, fixtures, layout and lighting, the tasks of an interior designer extends much further and deeper than that. Today designing a store for a prominent brand means that the audience is expected to get the whole package of sensory experience. First and foremost, this perfected package primarily motivates sight because the ability to see something overpowers all sense of logic. The followings are additional basic sensory elements like touch, smell, sound, temperature and taste. Massara and Pelosso, two accomplished psychologists that focuses on consumer ideology of merchandising and branding, in their article “Investigating the consumer–environment interaction through image modelling technologies” identifies the hierarchical sequencing of our attention to an interior retail space, by dividing it into three “environments” such as the firstly “micro-environment,” secondly “meso-envrionment” and lastly as “macro-environment.”
As consumers, we first experience the elements of sight and smell such as the lighting, overall color of the space, displays and decoration seen in eye-level like products packaging design/logo and immediate feel of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems, we hear the type of music playing and have an impression of the aromatic smell of the store. According to Massara and Pelosso elements like organization, arrangement, additional decorations, below-eye-level design elements like “flooring,” “carpeting,” ceiling systems and ingress /egress layouts are inferior to the consumers perspective of attention. Lastly the least considered features of a retail space, referred to as “macro-envrionment” indicates the exterior, location and the surroundings of the existing building structure and additional provided amenities. Evidently, all of these elements include radical changes in terms of practiced methodologies in the interior design industry.
In order to explain these extremely branded spaces better, I would like to mention a recent article on one of my personal favorite design magazine Wallpaper* featuring Aesop, an Australian luxury skincare brand, to be considered one of today’s most successful methods of retail design. The interiors of the Aesop stores (reaching over 50 countries worldwide) is special and different to each store. The common interior design elements of Aesop, plays on geometry, materiality and form. Even though, the design of each store is diverse and distinct, the foundation of layout is evidently repetitive For example, having extravagant and elegant sink as an ornament in the center of the space, a method of untraditional merchandising that encourages the consumers to test their lushous products. The article claims that “Aesop’s approach to retail design and architecture is unique and respectful of community, culture and history.” This is where I think the intended design and consideration of the surrounding community gets lost in translation. Even though, the selected ‘local’ designers and the thematic design of the space is predetermined to embrace the neighboring community and culture, it doesn’t neither operate nor represent the residing community who’s actually experiencing the space in a daily basis.
From a personal point of view, even so the design of the store is minimalized and simplified, the upscale reputation and luxurious look of the brand, makes it still unwelcoming and alienating to the majority of population. For example the Aesop Nolita store located at 232 Elizabeth Street, New York. A small shop with an interior of displays made out of stacked aged newspaper that is unidentifiable and interacting, over a polished concrete flooring and with hints of painted brick walls. To refer back to my overall customer experience in Aesop Nolita store, I was ignored by the staff and was told that I was forbidden to touch the displays. Although the execution to keep the existing brick walls pays tribute and implies cultural references to the main character of pre-war NoHo buildings, it is not sufficient enough to bridge the gap between the neighboring communities and branded retail spaces.
Where structural and functional decisions essential to construction the branded physical space is questionable, it is the point where we should start to investigate our sense of design. As interior designers, there comes a time where we have to ask the question of what am I designing for? Is this the form, program, structure, material, system, furniture, lighting or color absolutely necessary to what i intend? This bring me to my argument; while designing retail spaces, do we absolutely consider how the surrounding environment and community is going to be affected by these developments?
As a member of any community and human beings, we should approach the subject with an empathetic perspective. Living in a metropolitan city as New York, recognizing gentrification of neighborhoods, caused by today’s fast-paced developments, is indisputable. While feeling sorrow for disappearing authenticity in neighborhoods, we should also feel compassion for the people of these gentrifying communities. As industries and economies grow, there is a consistent need for more space to approach the targeted demographic of consumers. While some developments of gentrification has it’s benefits, the local community is left in desperation. A study done in the town of Gyeongridan neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea by the department of civil and environmental engineering in Seoul National University, defines gentrification by two significant stages; firstly, “the pioneers” continued by following entrepreneuring businesses with corporate capital.
Furthermore, the study claims that the unique aesthetical elements of designed public and interior spaces provoke some kind of “new energy.” However, this energy is not desired by and targeted to everyone. The dilemma between newly-designed retail spaces and the displacement of communities, minorities or the working class, basically division of class has come to a tipping point. Architect Liz Ogbu, in her twelve-minute TED Talk “What if gentrification is about healing communities instead of displacing them?” introduces the concept of “spatial justice.” Ogbu states that the human conversations, stories and experiences that we endeavour, eventually relates back to a “physical space.” She touches upon a great subject of “spatial justice,” having “equitable distribution of resources, services and access” and being present in these built environments is an absolute “basic human right.
” In conclusion of the study conducted in South Korea, I can state that the transformation of retail landscape in Gyeongridan neighborhood, is doubtlessly real and visible. (see image #2) To comprehend the consequences of retail gentrification though they personally feel about the changes happening in their neighborhoods, the results that they were “distressed and frustrated” as a result of the increasing rent. As a matter of fact, the study points out that one of the store owner of dry cleaner was forced to relocate their store numerous times, due to the lack of economic self- insufficiency caused by market gentrification. She states “My clientele are all here. I thought about moving to a different city but I decided I won’t continue this anymore… I might apply for a caretaker license and look after old people.” While she was forced into “involuntary career change” others were compelled into retirement.
To add on, another store owner who first experienced the Gyeongridan area over three decades ago, expresses her sorrow thoughts towards the gentrification of the neighborhood as; “When I first visited here in the 80s I really liked how it felt like an old country village so I started my shop though I was and still live in other neighborhood. Now the things changed and it doesn’t feel the way it used anymore. … So I’m struggling to continue my business here because it’s become too expensive and it’s not a cozy small village as it used to be. [Female, cosmetic shop owner] A few respondents had reasonable criticism for the new shops, specifically for the lack of entertainment activities provided by new retail establishments.”
The role of interior design in branded retail environments is essential while creating the desired sensory experience. The ever-changing, new consumer societies will continue to transform markets and practices of design, branding, merchandising, organization not only to get consumers to purchase their products, to be a part of the branded association, acquire a long-term customer. To prevent the development of interior spaces guided by the consumer’s aesthetic appeal, sensory experience and personal recognition, as interior designers, we should always question the basic logic, functionality and purpose behind the physical spaces we design. This could be orchestrated skillfully through appropriate concepts, materiality, furniture and lighting choices that will determine how the neighborhood operates and appear visually and communally united as one.
The Role of Interior Design in Retail Gentrification. (2022, Feb 26). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/the-role-of-interior-design-in-retail-gentrification/
