Both Viva La Vika, a jewellery brand, and womenswear brand CHOUX are run by Ukrainian-born entrepreneur Viktoria Moldavskaya. The two brands are known for their striking design-led boutiques which have upped their branding, and consequently, boosted their respective profiles. Since a few months, a combined retail space has opened its doors in the leafy Petrogradskiy area of Saint Petersburg. Once again created by architect and longtime collaborator Elena Lokastova, she faced the challenge to tweak the already established visual aesthetic of the brands’ previous retail spaces, while preserving the identity of each and also create a distinctive setting at the same time. Occupying a 140 sqm. (1,507 sq.ft.) corner unit on the ground floor of an early 20th-century residential building by architect Iosif Dolginov (1872-1943), the premises feature a sharply contrasting interior design. The starting point was the iconic bright pink aesthetics of Viva la Vika’s retail spaces, and a signature display table, obviously in that striking hue, anchors the minimalist setting.

This matches the main objective of creating an eye-catching store display that’s clearly visible to passers-by. As such, the design transformed the space info a fantastical portal from where to reach another dimension. Given the no-limits perspective, the concept of featuring blown-up bubblegum-inspired volume emerged naturally from previous brand concepts. The Inspiration is mainly taken from the fluidity, plasticity, and last but not least, bubblegum’s ability to take on many shapes. Instead of concealing or bypassing the load-bearing wall dividing two halls, it has become part of the configuration. The construction has used 3D printing technology for the first time, creating a variety of seemingly inflated furnishings and fixtures in bright pink. A combined retail space for both the Viva La Vika and CHOUX brands, the aesthetic flaunts well-known bright pink hue of the first, but with the distinctive glossy surface of the latter, stocking a selection of merchandise of both brands. © superfuture