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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Melania Caruso Flagship Store in Palermo, Italy by Puccio Collodoro ArchitettiAugust 25th, 2020 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Puccio Collodoro Architetti Type of space in which the project is included “Melania Caruso Flagship Store” is a clothes shop situation inside a 70s building, in the historical city centre in Palermo. Via Rosolino Pilo, where the store is situated, although only a secondary road compared to via Ruggero Settimo, has been affected by a continuous evolution which has resulted in the opening of many commercial activities, making it the new shopping street at the heart of the Sicilian city.  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti
 Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti Type of atmosphere requested The simple and essential lines combined to a firm use of colour determine the “minimal-pop” character of the project, marked by a balanced mix of geometric austerity and elegant explosion of colour. The layout of the setting, the lighting, display system and fittings, were all designed to highlight the spaces and the products, emphasized by the scrupulous attention to alignments. Since its inception, the idea has been to develop a space whose interpretation would be purely feminine, without overdoing it. The apparent simplicity of design choices is the product of a laborious and accurate study of every single detail, which has allowed the streamlining and the smoothing of furnishings, in order to obtain a design which is essential but firm in character. Choice of materials The client’s request was to create a store mainly for female customers, with a contemporary and appealing look, keeping a simple and elegant character at the same time. Therefore, a moodboard with “minimal” lines which would contrast with the “pop” finishing was studied: white marble, resin and powder-pink fabric, golden metal and natural parquet.  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti The main access is located by the large shop window on the ground floor; from here, access is gained to an area dedicated to the sale of accessories, characterized by a flooring with marble effect and a wall with display features in golden metal with smooth shapes which recall the design of the entire display system, situated on the next floor. The stark contrast between the pink resin used for the floor and the stairs stands out, and painting of the same tone for the walls and the ceiling; the counter desk was created instead using varnished wooden strips and tops in satin glass. On the upper floor, the “pink volume” is set and contrasted by the flooring in natural parquet which unfolds along the whole space, characterized by light walls; the entrance to the fitting rooms, made in curved metal, contrast and recall all the elements of the display system, enriched by a golden finishing. The element that stands out on the upper floor is the added counter area, positioned on the back, where the counter desk covered in fabric recalls the shape of the one on the lower floor, in front of a storage cabinet covered in velvet. The project The building is on two floors, therefore the vertical connection system becomes the heart of the project. A “pink monochrome volume” is implanted between the two levels enclosing inside it the stairs and the reception desk. A simple yet effective concept.  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti The entrance area is in itself the image which encompasses the entirety of the concept where the white volume of the entrance elegantly contrasts with the “pink monochrome volume”. The upper floor is accessible via the stairs, where the surface is entirely dedicated to clothing and shoes display, with fitting room areas, offices and storage rooms. The “pink volume” is present close to the upper floor landing, contrasting with the flooring in parquet. In the background, in front of the great windowed surfaces, a display system with metal elements and golden finishing has been placed. The area has a longitudinal development, and is characterized by another counter desk which represents the “head” element of the entire space. Difficulties and solutions The main difficulty was to summarize the inputs and the design choices in a single image which would have character and would be immediately recognizable. We wanted the brand to be perceived from the shop window, and for this reason we changed our first designs many times, making them lighter until we found the final image.  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti A few technical difficulties were encountered as well, such as the reduced height of the space on the upper floor, which has limited our design choices like the lighting system, solved by the choice of lighting fixtures positioned primarily on the walls. “MINIMAL-POP” is the term with which the designers at PuccioCollodoro Architetti define their latest project. The term “risked” by the young architects, Gianluca Puccio and Andrea Collodoro, is the perfect summary of what they define as “a balanced mix of geometric precision and elegant explosion of colour”. “Melania Caruso Flagship Store” is the clothes shop featured in this “new” interpretation, situated inside a 70s building, in what is gradually becoming the new shopping street in Palermo’s historic city centre. It is a store in which the placement of the environments, the lighting, the display system and the finishing are all designed to enhance the space and the products, emphasized by a maniacal attention to alignments. The areas have an interpretation which is typically feminine, without indulging in excesses. The apparent simplicity of the design choices is the result of a laborious and accurate study of every single detail, which has allowed the designers to streamline and smoothen the furnishing elements, to obtain an essential design with a firm character.  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti The materials were chosen on the basis of a moodboard with “minimal” lines which would contrast with the “pop” finishing: white marble, resin and powder-pink fabric, golden metal and natural parquet. The dominant element in the design composition is the vertical connection system conceived as a “pink monochrome volume” which is implanted between the two levels, enclosing inside it the stairs and the reception desk. A simple yet effective concept. Display systems with smooth lines and golden finishing have been conceived and designed, which recall the coating of the fitting room archways and some of the lighting fixtures. Therefore, the design wants to bring out the essence of the brand; a typically feminine brand, which has found a new way of communicating elegance and originality in its core business, of a “minimalpop” character.  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti  Image Courtesy © Puccio Collodoro Architetti
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