I'm so excited to share with you some photos from my latest project. This project has taken over my life for the last couple of months, and I'm beyond thrilled to see it finally up and running. Full disclosure, I wish the photos were more professionally shot, but for right now folks, this is all that we've got.
For those who don't know, Hey Love Design was recently commissioned by Clarks and High Road Communications to create a store design for Clarks Shoes, who was opening a four month long pop up shop in the heart of Yokville in Toronto. They wanted to create brand awareness and expose more customers to their new products, with a spotlight on their carefully curated “Edit” collection. We worked on developing a strong brand identity by focusing on the companies 190 year history and gave the shop a heritage feel with an industrial touch. We then topped it all off with some luxe finishes to make it more on trend and modern.
For the front window display, I found this incredible 100 year old work table, that came with a swing out chair attached. I instantly loved the beat up green paint, the metal top, and the scale of the whole piece was spot on. It's the only item that we rented for the duration of the pop up, and I don't think that I could have found anything else to fit this space so perfectly. On top of the table sits an embossing machine, which gets quite a workout during the day, as it allows customers to personalize their new desert boots on the spot. I also hung a custom brass light - with a ceiling height of over 14 ft, I needed to design something that was simple and elegant and wouldn't compete with all the typography, and I'm so happy with how this turned out.
Since we were setting up shop in an old Porsche store, which was quite cold and stark when we first saw the space, it was essential that our pop up felt warm and inviting. We concentrated on introducing supple tufted leathers found in the long bench, a wing back chair and Chesterfield sofa, custom warm wood tables throughout, and we installed a temporary wall with panel moulding at the back of the store to add architectural interest and make our three gallery walls really pop.
A custom marble topped cash bar and a plush floor to ceiling velvet curtain were luxurious additions that really elevated the design. I also like how all of our brass light fixtures accentuate the hunter green that we used as our backdrop. We then chose to pick up on the brass in other elements found in the store, giving the shop a truly cohesive look.
Finishing touches included layering in vintage and special elements, like sheepskin rugs to add texture, cloches to house some of our more unique items, such as old rulers and sock molds, shoe lasts in shadow boxes, stone rises to highlight our featured products, union jack pillows that reference the brand’s British identity, and, my favorite, a fox skull situated next to the brands iconic desert boots, greeting customers as soon as they walk in the door.
We also painted out empty big box store book boxes and used them as shoe risers throughout the store. This helped add a dose of brightness and afforded us a perfect spot to showcase our products. Finally, vintage crates were stacked at the back of the shop, increasing our display space and adding extra height to an otherwise empty corner of the room.
All in all I'm so happy with how this project has turned out, especially since we were up against an incredibly fast deadline and even tighter budget. A big thanks goes out to all of my suppliers, who pulled off the impossible in record time.
Resource List - Lampcage, Design Republic, Commute Home, Elte, Cornerstone Furniture, Love The Design, Smash, 698 Queen Antiques, Williams Design, Crystal Tile and Marble, Camilla House, Zuo Modern, Robert Allen, West Elm, Homesense