From the Danube to the Elbe, HOUSE OF SILHOUETTE sails on with a fair wind. The Silhouette Group’s first store outside its home market of Austria is in a former office building in the heart of Hamburg. The late nineteenth-century Kaisergalerie, sensitively reimagined by David Chipperfield Architects, now houses high-end brands within a clearly organised shopping gallery. Within this premium environment, HOUSE OF SILHOUETTE holds a prominent position with two shop fronts and two entrances: one from Große Bleichen, the other from within the Kaisergalerie itself.
Almost half of the surrounding walls are glazed, so the interior is on view from the pavement. We built on this openness by composing a series of visual anchors that draw passers-by in. Inside, the elongated sales floor unfolds along sweeping curves formed by curtains and dividers. Behind them, storage and service areas remain out of sight.
Lightness of selling
This second store in Hamburg shows that the corporate architecture of HOUSE OF SILHOUETTE can be scaled down as well as up. Hallmark elements return in the bespoke display systems and shelving, and in the wall of glass tubes, each refined into a modular, roll-out-ready component.
Curtains meander through the elongated space in a flowing line. Some display a platinum metallic sheen that echoes the titanium finish of many Silhouette frames. They endow the space with a lightness and transparency that define the brand itself.
Product displays, sales and consultation zones, and an eye testing area follow the curved lines. Storage sits behind the curtains, within easy reach from many points in the store and out of the customer’s path.
Reflection and refraction
Lightness and elegance are at the core of the Silhouette brand, and in the stores they find expression in materials and reflections. Curtains replace solid walls, floating shelves reduce visual weight, mirrored surfaces dissolve boundaries and glass tubes filter the light. The interior feels open, multi-layered and almost weightless.
The wall of glass tubes is the signature element here. Acting as a semi-transparent filter between inside and out, it lets daylight in and sets up a constantly shifting interplay of reflection and refraction.
It also draws the eye from the street. Behind the façade, a large porthole offers a view of the Eye Test Space. Here transparency builds trust, which suits a brand whose expertise in optics promises a precise fit – for the face and for the eye.
As buoyant as a sailing ship, HOUSE OF SILHOUETTE glides into Hamburg. Almost no solid walls remain, and airy curtains divide the space into zones. The customer journey presents the product range and puts Silhouette’s eyewear expertise on show. Along the long façade, curiosity is sparked; passers-by become customers, and customers become fans of the brand.
Plans
