Smooth as Butter: Primerochnaya Concept Store by Polina Ditsman.

What does a store that houses many brands look like? Traditionally, we can think of department stores such as Australia’s Myer or David Jones. Curated lighting, distinct zones and various architectures under one roof. But what happens when these types of multi-brand concept stores are shrunk down to house only the most boutique brands in the country? Creating a neutral palette onto which various designers’ products can be showcased, Polina Ditsman’s design of this concept store, Primerochnaya, is a cream dream.

Almost as if the store was a cake wrapped in creamy white fondant, there’s something smooth and seamless about Polina’s design. The architect, interior, and furniture designer shares how the project aimed to create a visually unifying space for several brands covering clothing, footwear and accessories.

Nestled on the first floor of a residential building, the 192 square metre concept store embraces a formal floorplan with very clearly defined zones. “With many load-bearing walls, columns and beams, the initial shape of the space was tricky” Polina explains. Several walls were adjusted to achieve greater symmetry and harmony across the interior. Polina describes how three exhibition halls were carved out, although I would possibly refer to them as two formal exhibition halls and one space that does a whole lot more.

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Housing all the formal functions of the store, such as a POS, the space you first enter into is a big fat ‘welcome’ to Primerochnay. With pillowy black furniture that invites you to sink in, this entry hall forces visitors to slow down and take in where they are.

A centrally placed spiral staircase is less about circulation and instead, acts as an architectural tool for displaying product. A system of semi-gloss display rails wraps the perimeter of the entry hall and embraces the creamy palette of the store in order to avoid “disrupting the visual comprehension of the space” Polina continues. The checkout counter and jewellery table are cast in a microcement-finish, reading as monolithic blocks within this gallery-esque space. The gridded metal rack serves as an orderly backdrop to the cash desk, with room to exhibit a range of various cosmetics and accessories.

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Branching off this main hall are two smaller spaces. A fabric-lined room with a mono-rail dancing around its perimeter is named, as the room’s materiality suggests, the ‘fabric room’. “In order to allocate the budget wisely, it was decided to maintain the irregular space of the room and not correct the walls with drywall” Polina says. And it’s a good thing they didn’t because the fabric-lined walls of this room exude a soft sense of luxury in keeping with the store’s overall atmosphere. The other exhibition hall houses a series of timber veneer-clad rooms, including a change room, storage area and more display areas.

“The ceiling across the exhibition halls is not covered with plasterboard, for budget optimisation,” shares Polina. Instead, they opted for lighting systems that used suspended panels instead. “They give uniform illumination and additional spotlights for specific accent areas” she explains. It’s evident that lighting design plays an important role in this space, just as Polina intended and contributes towards the overall sense of luxury that the concept store exudes.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

This project is located in Russia. While we do not condone the war in Ukraine nor agree with the state of Russia’s actions, we do not see any value in punishing individuals for something they have little control over.

Yellowtrace exists to promote good design, new ideas and creative thinking. We believe that good design is for everyone—it comes from all over the world and has the potential to unite us rather than divide us. For this reason, we have decided to continue to share work based on merit rather than location. We will take a similar approach to various global sporting events where Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete while not appearing as representatives of their countries.

While we understand not everyone will agree with our decision, this is what feels right for us. Thank you.

[Images courtesy of Polina Ditsman. Photography by Mikhail Loskutov.]