Stores that inspire and make for great shopping experience

A shop’s design says a lot about its brand—what they sell, what they value, and what they stand for.

Some customers leave with a purchased item on hand, but everyone else leaves with the visual aesthetic of the store imprinted on their minds. In this age of climate change and global warming, however, some retail shops have stepped up to raise awareness and respond to these issues by utilizing sustainable materials for their designs. Here are some shops around the world to inspire you.

Ecoalf, Madrid

With the intent to highlight the melting of the polar ice caps due to climate change, this shop features plastic panels that resemble glaciers. To allow customers to feel what it’s like to walk on a glacier, natural stone tiles with vein-like sensations were utilized to depict the cracking ice on the floor. It should be noted though that the plastic panels are definitely recyclable—it can be disassembled and reused for future projects as well.

MONC, London

Upon entering the store, customers would notice a ripple-like ceiling installation and rows of shelves made from cornstarch foam. This material can be used for packaging and can be simply dissolved in water once they start to wear out. Mycelium, the vegetative part of a fungus, is also used as a material to craft out display columns to showcase the store’s items. Lastly, the mirrors in the shop were salvaged from a nearby road which now adds to the overall uniqueness and charm of this sustainably and tastefully designed shop.

Ann Demeulmeester, Seoul

In the midst of a high-density city where there is a lack of green spaces, this shop surely stands out. The goal of this shop was to incorporate as much nature as possible given its location’s constraints by embracing the building’s facade with vertical greenery. This shop’s structure is intended to be a synthetic organism of nature and artifice, not just another “object” to be observed from the outside.

Decoration One, Aqaba

This shop is lined with hollow bio bricks that create a relaxed vibe while protecting the shop’s interiors from the harsh sun. These bio bricks were created from various seashells such as oysters, mussels, and clams—all leftover waste from the nearby seafood restaurants in this coastal city. This contributes to the unique identity of not just the brand, but also of its local area as well.

Attitude, Montreal

Known as a plastic-free brand, this shop utilizes chunks of granite and plants to decorate the whole area. An elevated ceramic floor gives the appearance of walking along a boardwalk between the planted beds, which are overflowing with greenery. Meanwhile, the centerpiece resembles natural rock formations which complements the whole theme of the shop while giving customers a sense of being in nature.