The brand language

Compiled by Savitha Hira

Photography: Zooey Braun; courtesy Ippolito Fleitz Group

Read Time: 2 mins

.

With the Black Forest in south-western Germany as the driving muse, retail outlet Drubba Village scores high on its aesthetic interiors...

The idyllic lake-side positioned Titisee-Neustadt  is a small peaceful town in the romantic Black Forest, buzzing with Asian visitors, who throng to Drubba Moments – a boutique outlet specialising in the sale of cuckoo clocks and high-end wristwatches.

 

.

Recently relocated, it has been designed by Stuttgart-based multidisciplinary design studio, Ippolito Fleitz Group, with a focus on creating a concentrated shopping experience, where individual brands can maintain their identities amidst a unified spatial concept.

 

.

To enable brands maintain their distinct corporate architecture, the design of the branded spaces is governed by few distinguishing parameters:  Wall niches define the framework and provide a unified rhythm. The floor is executed inlarge-format, porcelain stoneware tiles, creating a restrained background for brand presentation, while their hexagonal form cleverly resolves the polygonal layout of the space. The subtle tile colour means that the outer ring of the space steps back, allowing the brands themselves to take centre stage.

 

.

.

.

And the centre-stage here is a curated core area, where a café/bar and watchmaker service are located, and mechanical masterpieces and high-quality clocks are displayed and sold. The space has a special character with an eye-catching ceiling comprising 4362 spruce rods, stretching across the core area in undulating waves. Natural hues dominate referencing the surrounding Black Forest as dark metallic tones anoint the upper sections of the display tables and dark faux leather anoints the upper parts of the counter. With subtle elegance and a gentle dose of theatrics, the central space is transformed into a visual attraction without stealing the show from the surrounding branded areas.

 

,

A key challenge in the project has been of the lighting design, which ensures that products appear in the same light even when taken out of the display cases!