Has the time come to call time on ‘industrial’-look store interiors and what might be next?

Has the time come to call time on ‘industrial’-look store interiors and what might be next?

It’s just two days until 2014 and it’s been a long 51 weeks that has seen many new stores appearing on high streets, in malls and even on retail parks. And it’s a reasonable assumption that the New Year, in store design terms, will be characterised by the following: if it moves, clad it in wood. And if you can make that wood vintage, that’ll be a plus. Then please don’t forget the ‘industrial’ look. An ‘industrial’-look store opened just before Christmas at which a member of staff claimed that a shopper had said: “When is it going to be finished?” - although it was hard to tell if this was a throwaway line.  

‘Industrial’ is actually shorthand for store design that involves ‘raw’ concrete pillars (and if they have rough-and-ready graffiti on them, so much the better), exposed and preferably rusted steel joists and yet more timber. If faux construction site markers are left on the floor, so much the better, that’ll make it more authentic.

All well and good, but it’s now as much a design cliché as any other long player that graces our high streets and when seen in the context of, say, a modern shopping centre, it can actually look very odd indeed. The question therefore is has it run its course and at what point should retailers and designers call time on ‘industrial’ store environments and ask what’s next?

Actually, for London-centric types the answer is that change is due now, but beyond the Capital, there are large numbers of towns where this form of store design will still have legs. As for what comes next, maybe a complete volte-face is in order. So here’s a Seasonal store design thought. Why not try something completely novel and why not call it ‘White Box’? In essence, it would involve high-gloss minimalist spaces where the emphasis would be on the slick, rather than the rough-and-ready.

A wild stab in the dark perhaps, but at least it would serve as something different and there’s been nothing like it before…that anybody will really remember.

Industrial ‘heritage’ interiors are like uneaten Christmas puddings that will now sit at the back of the cupboard maturing for the next 12 months. They might have tasted pretty good on Christmas Day with all the trimmings, but by December 26th enough will have been enough. So it’s off to the gym to get spare and minimalist once more. Perhaps this is the future for 2014.

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