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Architects: BARDI studio
- Area: 48 m²
- Year: 2018
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Photographs:Sona Manukyan, Ani Avagyan
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Manufacturers: Caparol, Flos, Mapei
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Lead Architects: Shaghig Nalbandian, Miro Poghosian, Nanor Nalbandian
Text description provided by the architects. Based in Rio Mall in Armenia’s capital of Yerevan, Hash is a store that creates and retails all-natural skincare products. Commissioned to bring this brand alive, BARDI studio drew inspiration from the natural ingredients used to create Hash’s products, transforming the word ‘organic’ into physical space using colours and materials that closely align with nature.
The 48-square-meter rectangular space, with a 4-meter-high ceiling, presented a slight challenge for storage. With both storage and space being of equal importance for Hash, we found a solution to appease the vendor. By bringing forward the reception area slightly, a room was created to install shelving behind a dividing wall and out of sight from consumers, whilst enough space was left to insert a common area for employees.
Composition started from creating two symmetrical custom-designed and made shelves on either side of the room showcasing the Hash skincare products. A feature table and sales counter stand solid between the facing shelves in the middle of the room, built from an Armenian volcanic rock, Tuf. The bottom part of the feature table is painted with a solid colour, giving the traditional Tuf stone a modern touch.
Symmetry is revealed throughout the store from straight lines everywhere insight, to carefully arranged products, all the way through to the alignment of every Tuf stone used. This symmetry and tidiness provide a feeling of freshness that satisfies your inner symmetrical desires. Complimentary colours were chosen in the overall design, green for nature and pink for a modern touch, while orange is used to tie together these colours with the Tuf stone used by the two centrepieces.
When you look above, you’ll find a corrugated ceiling, which steers away from a traditional flat cover. The four main ingredients used in Hash’s products are visually presented behind the counter. Each placed in transparent vases perched upon their very own minimal white shelves, which protrude from a gridded white wall. The spotlights of the room use these shelves to create geometrical shadows that work with the grid wall.
