Axel Arigato's Stockholm Store by Christian Hallerod

Having designed a temporary gallery space for Swedish fashion label Axel Arigato a couple of years back, Christian Halleröd has now completed the brand’s first permanent Stockholm store. The minimalist environment draws inspiration from the original London flagship, with white monochrome surfaces punctured by striking royal blue elements.

Chubby slabs of light blue natural marble form display tables resting on crushed glass podiums. The glass bases appear smashed and broken, ironically reminiscent of storefronts after an attempted break-in, though in this context the fractured pains form complex patterns. The tables were designed to provoke nervous excitement, with the heavy stones resting on seemingly brittle, thin glass.

Axel Arigato Co-founder and Creative Director Max Svardh comments on how Halleröd’s design reflects the brand’s penchant for combining traditional and contemporary influences. “We continue to work with materials that are seen as traditionally luxurious, but with a progressive and modern approach. How we present the marble on the broken glass is a reflection of that particular way of thinking,” he says.

An intentional lack of decoration retains focus on the collections. Embedded hanging shelves blend seamlessly with the raw, industrial shell of the space. Aluminium rods attached to bare fluorescent tubes form a gridded linear lighting structure, enhancing the predominantly white, sterile surfaces. Floors polished with a high shine gloss contrast asymmetrical, deep blue rugs. Large floor-to-ceiling mirrored shelves help to enlarge the space and aid in creating an immersive experience.

The main design objective of all Axel Arigato stores is to make customers feel as though they are entering a gallery or something beyond your traditional retail experience. Halleröd achieves this in the Stockholm store with a dramatic entranceway, whereby visitors pass through a curved glass room with a rotating central feature to be used for unique, ever-changing installations.