Aesop Shop in Singapore, Orchard Road store images, ION interior architecture

Aesop Shop in Singapore

Signature Store Interior Design, Southeast Asia retail design by Snøhetta Architects

post updated 19 July 2024

Design: Snøhetta, architects, Norway

Location: Singapore

Aesop opens new Snøhetta designed signature store in Singapore

12 May 2016

Aesop Shop Singapore, Orchard Road

Aesop recently announced the opening of a new Snøhetta designed signature store in Singapore. Situated just off the bustling thoroughfare of Orchard Road, Aesop ION opens on May 12.

The interiors commemorate Orchard Road’s original incarnation as a nutmeg plantation. Inspired by its obscured past and underground location, Snøhetta created an upside-down forest using a sensitive assemblage of materials, colors and forms.

A dark ceiling references the orchard floor, complemented by sisal carpet in the same rich tone. Thin timber battens hang from the ceiling, forming walls that curve throughout the space like three trunks in a grove.

Selected central battens are suspended with horizontal ‘branches’ fixed to the stems acting as product displays. Exposed walls are pink, reminiscent of the color of mace, the other spice harvested from the nutmeg fruit.

A connection with the nearby Aesop Raffles City is established through the use of brass in functional elements such as the sales counter and sink – the metal’s luster enhanced by overhead lighting.

About Snøhetta
For over 25 years, Snøhetta has designed with some of the world’s most notable public and cultural projects. Snøhetta kick-started its career in 1989 with the competition-winning entry for the new library of Alexandria, Egypt.

This was later followed by the commission for the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center in New York City, among many others. Since its inception, the practice has maintained its original trans-disciplinary approach, integrating architectural, landscape and interior design in all of its projects.

In 2014, Snøhetta designed the 100th Aesop signature store in Oslo, Norway. Snøhetta is also currently working on the redesign of Times Square in New York City, and the Lascaux Caves Museum in Montignac, France, all of which are expected to be completed in 2016.

About Aesop
Aesop was founded in Melbourne in 1987 and today offers its superlative formulations in signature stores around the world. As the company evolves, meticulously considered design remains paramount to the creation of each space.