The Ölmühle an der Havel is an oil factory that recently opened a new outlet in Berlin Kreuzberg. The salesrooms were designed with particular focus given to brand identity and product presentation. The colours of the proprietary goods in their natural state are displayed effectively in the precise and balanced light of ERCO Optec spotlights.

The new production and sales areas of the factory are located on the mezzanine of a building in Berlin Kreuzberg that dates back to the German architectural period known as the Gründerzeit (‘founding epoch’). The family business specialises in the production of the finest cooking oils based on a tradition of natural quality. Frank Besinger and Sabine Stempfhuber founded the Ölmühle three years ago in Kladow an der Havel, the river that lent its name to the undertaking. The new location in Bergmannstraße doubles as shop floor and production facility: All the oils are freshly pressed and carefully processed here on site. It is important to the proprietors that emphasis is given to the natural quality of their products, which are made primarily of organic ingredients sourced locally. Next to an array of cooking oils, the store offers a selection of fine teas and spices.

Quality emphasised in brilliant light
Communication designer Fabian Lefelmann, who had previously designed the corporate branding, was entrusted with the styling of the new premises. An important aspect for the proprietors in the interior design was a concept that emphasised the quality and genuineness of the products. Light was to play a central role. The sales area need­ed to be illuminated evenly, yet the products cast in an authentic light. Lefelmann opted for around 30 Optec spotlights supplied by ERCO, which ensure precise, glare-free illumination, but also versatile use thanks to interchangeable lenses. Whereas the spotlights with wide flood and flood characteristic illuminate the sales areas and product presentation zones uniformly, the oval flood and spot versions add precise accents. Individual arrangements on the shelves or at the display points are thereby accentuated. The highly brilliant LED light enhances the three-dimensionality of the products.

Simple elegance for small rooms
The limited size of the Ölmühle salesrooms and a building fabric that dates back to the ‘Gründerzeit’ era left little option for technical installations. The compact shape and flexible use of the Optec spotlights therefore provided further arguments that swung the decision in favour of ERCO. With a low-key interior prominence is given to the product colours, displayed in all their subtle nuances by perfectly executed lighting. The warm white light of the spotlights has an utterly brilliant effect on the colours, revealing their rich variety thanks to the optimal colour rendition of the digital light. The ERCO spotlights form a counterpoint to the decorative object luminaires of established German company Bolichwerke. Combined with the varnished wood shelves and the rustic-style flooring, they complete the contrast of modern elegance and traditional charm that pervades the whole design concept for the premises.

Design: Fabian Lefelmann
Lighting: ERCO GmbH
Photography: Sebastian Mayer for ERCO