The Gold Standard

Of Retail Design

Safety deposit boxes function as display cabinets in this Bangkok retail space for Spanish footwear brand 24 Kilates. Designed by Barcelona studio, External Reference, the design team were briefed to create an interior that exudes both luxury and high-end eccentricity.

The brand itself described their vision for the new space as: “not just a common clothing shop, but a place where clothes are carefully selected and presented as precious art pieces.” And thus, the shoestore-cum-bank-vault concept was born. Featuring a wall disguised as a grand vault door with a big wheel that frames the shop logo, the functional merchandising element of the space uses an array of safety deposit boxes lining the walls in place of traditional shelving. “The interior looks like an exclusive treasury, filled with safes and safety boxes,” said the architects.

The team chose a primarily gold colour scheme to create the impression that everything in the shop is made of metal, ultimately conveying a sense of material value. The golden deposit boxes span whole walls, with some shoes hidden behind closed doors – again, reinforcing the idea of exclusivity. “These devices help to hide products from customers’ view momentarily, which invites them to discover products,” said the designers. “Each design feature was strategically developed to confer further magic, mystery and uniqueness to the items exhibited.”