There is a deep connection between the brand Akris and the design of its new flagship store in Washington DC, in the city center, not far from the White House. A bond based on materiality. For the Swiss fashion firm, David Chipperfield Architects has created interior design that reflects the importance of materials and lightness, conveyed on a sensorial level.
The refinement of the fashion collections, based on an age-old tradition of textiles with roots in the city of St. Gallen, alternates with the natural qualities of Vicenza stone by Grassi Pietre, which frames the setting.
Solid, three-dimensional and above all minimal architecture, featuring the neutral tones of stone and wood, formulates an essential tableau – a series of cables to support shelves and display fixtures, presenting the collections as if they were suspended, in a direct reference to the tensile structures of Bruno Munari.
The atmosphere of poise, precision and soft warmth pervades the space thanks to chromatic uniformity, enhanced by the Vicenza stone by Grassi Pietre utilized for floors, facings, columns and part of the ceiling (of limited thickness, bonded with honeycomb panels to ensure safety and security). Deployed in the polished Grigio Alpi version, the material embodies the virtues of natural stone, in a particular pattern like an abstract painting, marked by a high number of macro-fossils and a distinctive pale gray color.
“All the material supplied has been carefully selected and processed – the company explains – starting with the scanning of the slabs on which to carry out nesting prior to the cutting, to provide a clear advance visualization of the project, complying with the smallest details of the design created with Studio Chipperfield.”
Owner: AKRIS
Architecture and Interior design: David Chipperfield Architects
Furnishings: Custom made and designed by David Chipperfield Architects; Vitra
Stone utilized: Grassi Pietre
Photo credits: Alberto Parise
