Commercial Interiors And Visual Merchandising

Miu Miu, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Apparently there is no such thing as taste; taste is merely personal preference. Well, that said our personal preference has clearly not been in tune with what this brand produces for their window schemes. But not this one however. Are we becoming immune to the vulgarity that some of these brands produce? We don't know, but we really love this little gem, and particularly the foamy chaises (or is it chaisi? Who knows?) Looking rather more like Prada (no surprise there then) these days this scheme is a bit of a corker, don't you think?

VM and Display Awards 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:03:00 +0000

Its that time of year again when the VM and Display industry will descend upon the Grand Connaught rooms here in London on the 25th October, 2013 to celebrate the very best in Visual Merchandising and Display. The Awards evening is a truly spectacular event and a fantastic sell out. So, ensure that you book your place to avoid disappointment...!

Contact 01945 420 068, email enquiries@rvmww.com or click on the banner on the right hand side of this page.

H&M, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

So cool it fricking hurts, doesn't it? The guys at H&M change their schemes quicker than we can, well, change other stuff and we love it, particularly when they change what they do and do it so bleedin' well. These guys are on fire and we cant help but envy their energy. Lets not under estimate however how hard these guys have to work to ensure that they bring us the latest and greatest in windows and these window changes are incredibly hard work to do. Well done guys and thank you for sharing your apparently endless energy and we do hope that your head office guys and in particular the dull old finance department appreciate what you do (they probably don't.....actually we know that finance departments never do but want to be a part of it all anyway because they would like to be cool but never are; but don't say we said so). Fantastic stuff and kudos to the guys who implemented the latest scheme at Oxford Circus.

Karen Millen, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

We recently included this brand (possibly for the first time ever) when they collaborated with RIBA and the Regent street project which of course was superb. Anyway, since then it appears that the success of those amazing windows has kick started the brand into doing something a little less ordinary and and wow look at this scheme. OK, well its not ground breaking but it is an effort and that is very much appreciated.

Liberty, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Liberty's always so perfectly delivered schemes are never a disappointment and this one is no exception. Their curatorial approach to product handling is always so superbly produced and sprinkled with a bit of fun and irony. Delicious.

Smythson, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

This is a very crisp scheme here at Smythson don't you think? We've passed by here several times and find ourselves licking the windows at the stunning merchandise too. Everything perfectly placed and communicating the luxury of this brand so perfectly.

Topshop, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Following on from H&M's festival theme, Topshop of course, with their fingers firmly on the pulse of what's going on out there (on every occasion) also have their perfectly timed festival theme in place. These guys always look so fricking cool don't they and always seem to get it so damned right.

H&M, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

We've been walking passed this scheme for a few weeks now and missed our chance to capture the under water scheme prior to this one which was great fun. But anyway, the guys at H&M have done it again this brand just gets better and better at what they do. The brand is obviously gearing up for the Festival season and this scheme just says it brilliantly.

Tezenis, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

We often find some quite interesting schemes happening at Tezenis and this one certainly looks better that our images taken through jet lagged eyes. If you travel through Oxford Circus, right in the heart of it all then you may be familiar with this one already. Anyway, while this scheme is rather stacked to the rafters and the mannequins appear to be in a police line up it could have been quite an exciting and fun scheme. Unfortunately the retail standards here are not always the best example and one only needs to glance at the bottles on the cart to see that maybe the hypothetical 'Tracy' the Saturday girl who normally works on the fitting room thought she would give a bit of product handling a whirl, kind of scenario appears to have happened. Utter chaos really. Sigh.

Mappin and Webb, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

We usually pass by this store along Bond Street as they rarely do anything interesting. In fact we have never included them here previously and have never really noticed them before. Established in 1774 this brand has a massive heritage and therefore no doubt have a huge Asian following, we would imagine? Anyway, we always go and see what good old, but exciting Tiffany are doing but never here until now. Someone has clearly been breathing some desperately needed life into this dusty old brand and it is finally looking interesting (we cant say again as they have never done anything before now as far as we know?). Anyway, if you happen to be making a bee line for McQueen or popping in to Joseph on your way to Fortnum's do stop and have a look at what these guys are doing along the way. The day we looked the passing footfall were loving it and we actually had to take our turn in order to take photos. What better endorsement that you are doing something less ordinary can you get? Keep it coming guys...!

Royal Academy, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:08:00 +0000

Have you seen this amazing installation on the front of the Royal Academy yet? If you happen to be on London's Piccadilly, have a peak through, or better still go and take a closer look; very beautiful.

Louis Vuitton, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Wow, we do love the new scheme at good old LV right now. Would you look at these props..! Its great to see these guys going back to their animal schemes and references to the curatorial. Covered in gold and glinting in the London sunshine, these look quite spectacular, don't you think?

Burberry, London

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

After what was an agonising journey in fricking economy via the most dreadful Spanish airline Iberia we are finally home. We have never had such a hideous experience from an airline and what are quite frankly the laziest airline stewardesses in the sky and the most basic dated entertainment for a whole 11 hours of our lives which appeared from one screen for everyone. Did we just step back in time to the 1970's? Given the dated appearance, perhaps we were annoyed by the teasing notion that Pam Ann may appear? Sadly, no such luck, although after a few minutes of the same old, same old gags even she would have been tiring. It is not clear why it appears to have joined with British Airways but brand damage is hard to shake off. What ever happened to customer service? Do not fly with Iberia...you will receive even less than what you don't pay for and it really is not worth the agony. If you google their feedback you will find it very difficult to find anything positive written about them and for very good and verifiable reasons. Anyway, that said, we have popped out to have a look and see whats happening on home territory here in London if only just to stretch our legs and unfurl from economy agony. Strangely nothing much has actually moved on. We do love the Black and White scheme at Burberry right now however.

Nativo's, Antigua, Guatemala

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

In our final entry from Guatemala before we fly back to good old Grey and chilly Blighty, we thought we would share this gorgeous store with you which was part of our research. Obviously we have tonnes of images but only time to share a few. Nativo's is quite a small store, but the merchandise is quite delicious. Just look at this stuff. All handmade and just waiting for your Dollars. Its a long old flight home so we may be able to whip up a few of these for ourselves on the way back.

Pedro G Cotino, Antigua, Guatemala

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

The light in this amazing country is quite incredible. The heat is too. Here at probably one of the best stores on 5th Avenue (we really do wish they had called it something else) is Pedro G Cotino (or at least that's what we think its called as no illuminated signage or Gold lettering adorns these stores of course). Someone here understands retail, merchandising and presentation. We do wish we could have made a purchase here but sadly, realistically what would we do with a hand carved canoe filled with rugs back in London? Anyway, if you happen to be in this part of the world do go and drool over the merchandise here which is housed in the most gorgeous space and presented so beautifully and so seductively.

Nim Po't, Antigua, Guatemala

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 23:30:00 +0000

Just a fleeting visit to this incredible place we had to research for some gorgeous stuff to take back home. Here at the amazing Emporium of goodies called Nim P'ot (ironically on 5th Avenue; we chuckled too and no Saks either) their stuff is stacked to the rafters. And amazing stuff it is too. Need a hand carved figure or a hand embroidered throw, then look no further. This absolutely stunning place is the kind of store one would view in a glossy magazine although the place is far less staged and very earthy.....think Anthropologie.

Panama Canal, Panama

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

No journey would be complete to Panama without a quick visit to view the Panama canal. Its a little like one of the 100 things in the world to see before you die, right? Anyway, this is the last entry from Panama before we fly to view the delights of Guatemala. We've uploaded our inspiration from Panama onto Slideshare which you can access from either the top of this page or through their site.

Kenneth Cole, Panama

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

We really used to like the Kenneth Cole brand but we're not entirely sure what has happened to them? We quite like the call to action vinyl's here on the fenestration which informs us to 'Take A Stand' (or take a seat) however. What was particularly cool about this brand was that it actually once felt very luxurious and travelling from London and finding them in Chicago and New York was actually very exciting and then the brand planted itself onto the streets of London and we never shopped there again. In December we came across the Reed Krakoff store in New York which incidentally we loved......hmmmmmm.....Kenneth Cole is looking rather lookie likey a very cheap version of the Reed Krakoff scheme, eh?.....bizarre coincidence? Or, was the original Reed Krakoff scheme actually not so original in the first instance? Who knows?

Veley, Panama

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

We been scouring this whole mall for innovative ideas and presentations and this particular store drew us in. We think the brand is called 'Veley' but it could be 'Viley'? Anyway, we've never seen this one before so it was great to view a local brand in a local place; move over globalisation. Here we have essentially a shoe brand which is making things so interesting. We loved the references to its heritage, the manufacturing process and the presentation itself certainly wasn't the most offensive, but ultimately it what was very interesting is to view a brand which at least is trying to make things a little less ordinary and we like that.

Hermes, Panama

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

We eventually found the luxury 'zone' here at the multiplex in Panama city and directly opposite the LV store and their spider installation which we featured here a while ago is Hermes. With their little swimmers this scheme is great fun, particularly the miniatures diving into the crockery and the store itself is quite spectacular having a huge presence in this ultra modern mall.

Renuar, Panama

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 23:00:00 +0000

We've never seen this brand before and not entirely sure if this is simply a one-off site here at the Multi-plex mall in Panama city? Anyway, they clearly make an effort and we really quite like these 'scrabble-like' letters spelling out key words. These mannequins would have looked even better if they had been 'wired' rather than on the steel base plates of course, and why does everyone place them as if they have argued with each other? Think magazine photo shoot guys or some kind of narrative?

Desigual, Panama

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Fri, 31 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

We like a great Desigual store as these guys always seem to make such an effort, don't you think? Its a little bit of a shame that they haven't got their mannequin groupings correct here though as it would have had far more impact. Cu'mon guys, mannequins in groups of 3 and 2 so they don't all look like they are in a police line up and some good use of plinths to get some height?

Bling Bar @Hard Rock, Panama

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Thu, 30 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

If you weren't at the post Congresso Internacional Visual Merchandising event in Panama this week, then where were you? The Panamanian glitterati and fashionista were out in force and the party read like a who's who of the movers and shakers in this amazing city. I did manage to capture just a few (well quite a few) hilariously funny moments with the very famous Guatemalan TV presenter Alejandra Guzman (she wont thank me for saying that of course...but I'm just teasing....although she is..!) who so graciously agreed to be my human 'mannequin' on stage earlier in the day and a grateful thanks to my US and Mexican colleagues and friends Scott, Linda, Bart and Humberto who made the event and whole experience so remarkable. Enormous thanks particularly of course to Pedro and Ana Brolo for a truly visionary world class visual merchandising event; Latin America is rocking and certainly a place to watch for some very interesting and very vibrant pockets of inspiration. We will be showing you what we find here over the coming week.

Printemps, Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Wed, 29 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Printemps are certainly rocking the colour right now and their very simple homeware looks very similar to the kind of installation we often see at Selfridges back in London. OK well Selfridges would do it all even better but you know what we mean. We've been very pleasantly surprised with the level of work here in Paris and there have been some truly excellently produced visual merchandising schemes which we have never seen before in this city. We'll be back soon we're sure. Next stop is Guatemala and on to Panama. We have no idea what to expect from that part of the world but hopefully we will have some incredible schemes to share with you.

Lancel, Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Jonathan Baker M.A.) — Tue, 28 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

WTF is going on here at Lancel? We don't recognise this brand as a global player so well done in a way for making an effort we guess? But, jeez, VM gawd 'elp us. What are they doing? We had to do a double take when we came across this as we couldn't quite work out what they were doing but it appears to be several ceiling roses with roses in between and handbags on shelves, on a ceiling. Truly bizarre stuff really.