Collage the Shop

David Thulstrup has designed the second store for Collage the Shop, this time a multi-brand luxury women’s store, using the same strong geometry and minimalist aesthetic but adjusting it to showcase accessories and complement the historic space’s decorative features. Located in Aarhus, the second Collage the Shop, primarily sells accessories such as women’s shoes, handbags and small leather goods with a small range of clothing. The concept of both Collage stores is to create a distinctive but almost neutral backdrop that allows brands with strong individual identities to take center stage.

“I wanted to create a mood that echoes the first store in Illum in Copenhagen with architectural shelving and metal fixtures like the custom-made sofas in sandblasted aluminum but soften it with curved walls and bouclé fabric on the sofa,” says David Thulstrup, creative director and founder of the Copenhagen-based Studio David Thulstrup.

The front part of the store is in a former pharmacy with large windows and a decorative ceiling painted in brown, blue and gold, while the rear space is more enclosed. “The curved wall has a guiding purpose creating a sense of a walk through the store. Long tracks of LED lighting also visually connect the two quite different spaces,” says Thulstrup. As with the Illum store, large boxy shelves envelop most of the structural columns and form part of the display counter, and the walls are covered with Steni façade panels, this time with smaller scale pebble aggregates. The powder-coated high gloss blue metal shelves and a light blue polyurethane floor pick up a color in the ceiling and contrast with the muted earthy tones of the woolen rug, clay rendered walls and the Steni panels.

The overall aesthetic is minimalist but the two sofas facing each other under the decorative ceiling make a large and comfortable space in the center of the store for trying on shoes or simply lingering. Large mirrors leaning against the wall add to the relaxed customer experience. “I wanted to create a welcoming environment so customers would sit down and spend some time in the store,” says Thulstrup. Collage the Shop is part of Group 88, a family-owned Copenhagen-based luxury retailer, which is planning a third children’s focused store also designed by Studio David Thulstrup.

Studio David Thulstrup

Client: Group 88