Aesop Store Berlin Mitte

The inaugural Aesop Store in Berlin
Weiss—heiten designed the first signature store in Germany for Australian skin care brand, Aesop. The store opened in autumn 2013 on Alte Schönhauser Street in Berlin, Mitte.

Reflecting Aesop‘s approach to build unique site-specific stores that reflect local qualities, Weiss—heiten explored the unique character of Berlin, its tension between the contrast of old and new, roughness and beauty, urban and nature. Inspired by Gerhard Richter’s colour studies and monochromatic canvases and by the city’s industrial history and everyday charm, the interior assumes a palette of leaf-green and a quietly clinical aesthetic.

Handmade raw concrete tiles cover the walls and floor, creating a sense of having wandered into Berlin Alexanderplatz U-Bahn station or a hidden glade in the forest. Under the green and grey-green tiles, a near-invisible raw steel structure shows through. Small imperfect details are revealed – corners and raw edges of concrete and steel. Aged sinks salvaged from a 1950s farm tether the heritage-listed building to its previous life as an early twentieth-century dairy store. German oak and ferns provide subtle contrasting accents creating a seductive, strong and humanistic space.

»Our aim was to create a space that combines the clarity of industrial atmosphere with the strength of historical materials – presented with ease & patina.« Alberto Franco Flores, Lead Architect of Weiss—heiten.

Weiss—heiten