Store Fora Sunglasses Chiado

The project for this commercial space on Rua da Misericórdia, in Lisbon, required a comprehensive architectural intervention aimed at transforming a former butcher’s shop into a Fora Sunglasses store comprising: a display area with a service counter, a lounge area, a workshop and an office.
The proposal centred primarily on the design of a display unit and the way it would communicate the product to customers both inside and outside the shop. We chose to design it in an L‑shape, occupying the space that defines the threshold between the shop and the street: the shorter side of the L presents the product to passers‑by, while the longer side addresses those inside the shop.
The display unit responded to two programme requirements. Measuring 5.5 metres in length, it serves both to exhibit sunglasses on its continuous shelves — which unify the two sides of the L — and to store them in drawers located at its base. Volumetrically, the display creates a sense of movement generated by the deconstructive morphology of its continuous shelves, a perception heightened by the use of two types of wood: untreated tola and white‑lacquered timber, the latter acting as an abstract material that blends with the shop’s walls. The combination of form and materiality ensured its functionality while providing a sculptural quality with the emotional resonance needed to communicate the product to customers.
Understanding the shop as a set of interconnected spaces, we created a lounge area linked to the display space and facing an outdoor area that was also restored. In this leisure zone, a table was designed to store the brand’s most exclusive collections, and several pieces of furniture were added which, together with the sound of the vinyl record player, invite the customer to sit down, relax and linger while enjoying their coffee.
In the transitional corridor between the public and private areas of the shop, we used black as a means of signalling restricted access to the office and workshop.
More than a mere point of sale, this shop also proposes to be a place where one can linger and work.

Lisbon - Portugal
2017

Photography: Garcês