Contrast and beauty — formula of the flagship boutique Notabene created by the studio Norm architects in Copenhagen. To highlight industrial elements, the design blends concrete, oak, and aluminum with a warm material palette. This solution, according to architects, best reveals the tactfulness of the things of this shoe brand.
Entering the store, visitors encounter a hall with high ceilings, open concrete walls, and load-bearing columns. Natural light floods everything here, penetrating through wide windows adorned with transparent white curtains. Architects innovatively displayed shoes: polished aluminum shelves for some, clay pedestals, L-shaped metal plates, or rounded wooden podiums for others.
In collaboration with Karimoku Case Study, a subsidiary of the Japanese manufacturer Karimoku, we created podiums and other furniture. Specializing in unique furniture collections for various architectural projects, each collaboration serves as a thematic study.
« The boutique should be an impetus for the development of the Notabene brand, and it was important to create not only items that meet the real needs of the team of this brand but also a hospitable and comfortable environment for guests and customers. Frederick Werner and Peter Eland, partners of the studio, highlighted the combination of unprocessed elements of the building’s structure with exquisite Japanese furniture, emphasizing the precision of the shoe manufacturing process. Thick oak planks were used to make the balustrade of the stairs. They used oak to coat most surfaces, creating a more cozy and intimate atmosphere.
While waiting for their shoes to be repaired, customers can relax in the living room, furnished with a sofa and a pair of curved armchairs upholstered with dense fabric beams. Customers can order a glass of wine or hot drinks at the solid wood counter. And at the same time consider various shoe care products located on aluminum shelves. Another staircase leads to the antisol level, where the design laboratory is located. There is a large round table and wooden wardrobe with a small collection of books on design and lifestyle.