Stylexchange Faubourg is a retail outlet located in one of the entrances of a Ste. Catherine Street historic food mall. Located right next to Concordia University’s campus in downtown Montreal—a young and vibrant student neighborhood—the boutique blends seamlessly into the urban landscape of this diverse, multicultural part of town. The simple and flexible design showcases Stylexhange’s contemporary fashions while at the same time recounting the history and traditions of its surrounding neighborhood.
The black area showcases recently arrived products in a non-organized, market-inspired way. The central workshop, bright and white, is drawn in a way to focus on the work of the in-store stylist who puts together noteworthy combinations of clothes and accessories. The existing entryway of the store was amended to create a linear commercial space, with low ceilings above an open-plan, two level space in the centre. The aesthetic of the new atelier is part design studio, part trendy, second-hand boutique. The store was designed as a canvas for the diverse, cosmopolitan crowd of the area: style, music and graphic art are the real inhabitant of this space.
This central white steel structure is built like an unfinished tent. Loosely but strongly illuminated, it dominates the room, serving both as a showcase for new product arrivals and as a musical and entertainment centre when fashion shows are taking place in the store.
The black space was conceived as a creative canvas of blackboards, with a constantly evolving design. The blackboards allow local artists to decorate the boutique in the colours of the surrounding neighborhood. In this way, art unifies every element of the store, connecting the brands with each other and with the neighborhood. The original floors of the space were maintained. They feature a mix of tiles from different eras, while the subdivisions of the space were painted uniformly, thus recalling the history of the space.
Designed by Sid Lee Architecture
Photographer: Sid Lee
http://www.arthitectural.com/sid-lee-architecture-stylexchange-faubourg/
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