After the opening of the redesigned, tree-filled Apple Store in Brussels, Apple’s flagship Regent Street store in London is the next to get the Jony Ive treatment.
Working with Foster & Partners, the architectural firm responsible for the Gherkin skyscraper, Apple’s plans call for it to transform what it refers to as the “tired and outdated” look of the Regent Street Apple Store — even removing the instantly-recognizable four giant Apple logos outside the store entrance.
At 11,000 square feet, the London flagship store will be the biggest Apple Store redesign yet. Around 4 million people visit each year.
We got a glimpse of what may be planned with the recent Brussels store, which focuses on natural light, wide open spaces, plenty of indoor trees, and wood tables and benches. No drawings have been made available to show exactly what’s planned for the London store, but it seems a unified design language will be followed.
Written plans for the London store state that, “The brief looked to re-imagine the overall customer experience within the store and address a tired and outdated interior sales area. Part of the proposed works is also removing the four Apple Logos from the Regent Street facade. This assists with natural light penetrating the retail floor and preserves the historic character of the facade.”
The front section of the mezzanine will also be removed, while a double heigh entrance will be constructed to allow more natural light in the store, thereby improving the “customer journey.” In addition, the main glass staircase will be replaced with “two new dramatic staircases [to] draw the visitors up to the refurbished mezzanine level.”
Neutral colors — including white, gray and oak — will be used throughout the store, with the express purpose of creating, “a calm environment for an enhanced shopping experience.”
This echoes words by Angela Ahrendts when she visited London for the recent iPhone 6s launch. “We’re just piloting some things, and I think the overarching thing is I think you can expect the stores to become hopefully a little calmer, but yet a little more dynamic, and maybe slightly more aligned to the same feeling you get when you go into our products,” she said.
There’s no word on how long the refurbished store will take to complete. As readers have pointed out in the comments, the ground floor is already boarded off, with sign apologizing for the inconvenience. Don’t fear, though: Apple has been given permission to operate a temporary store in the basement for up to three years.
Could be a long wait, we guess…
Source: Evening Standard
