For the first store we designed for Via Venetto, a 30-year old shoe retail store, the brief was to give it a new contemporary image to recapture its market. The dilemma that was initially faced was that it has long established a great reputation in the retail scene, and so veering to far from its original look could alter the market’s perception of it for the worst. We therefore tried to find a balance between maintaining some of its characteristics and infusing them with newer, more contemporary forms.

The word ‘via’ is italian for roadway, path, or walkway. These words are almost synonymous to the characteristic of ‘movement’. Translated physically, the feeling of movement was represented by a series of undulating archs that loom over you as you traverse inside the store. The experience almost becomes ceremonial.

These archs were then interconnected with a myriad of beams, forming a diamond shaped faceted web. The parralelism of the diamond represents the store’s standing in the local retail community – in the same way a diamond has developed its sparkle through time, the brand attained the market’s trust thru time as well.

Designed by Buensalido+Architects

http://www.contemporist.com/2010/02/24/via-venetto-store-interior-by-buensalidoarchitects/#more-8915