Melbourne architect, March Studio’s Rodney Eggleston has recently completed the third Singapore store at Millenia Walk for Australian skincare brand Aesop. In collaboration with Aesop’s founder Dennis Paphitis, the store features a significantly mesmerizing mass of coconut husk strings suspended from the ceiling. Referencing Aesop’s subtle and understated method of gift wrapping using the humble ball of twine, and drawing inspiration from the region; thirty kilometers of coconut husk string were suspended from a meticulously detailed grid frame fixed to the ceiling. The results are simply captivating.

Working with a natural and sombre palette of materials such as the coir matting for the flooring and marine plywood for the joinery, the interior appeared warm, genuine and whole. The unexpected approach of material application for the Millenia Walk store has created yet another image which exudes Aesop’s locality in South East Asia.

“Geography, climate and light all inform which path we take with our design decisions. For Singapore, we referenced the humble ball of twine with which we wrap and detail our gift boxes. The entire store is framed with meticulously detailed grids that suspend twine from the ceiling. The idea is to work with a sombre material palette in an unexpected way. We’ve used coir matting as carpet and marine plywood to detail our storage units which conceal a palette of Corbusier-inspired coloured wall panels.”
Aesop Director / Dennis Paphitis

What is appealing about this store is the intimate proportioned interior, the dropped light fixture, the wall storage units, which appear to float above the floor and continue around the corner, and lastly the natural beauty inherited from the materials utilized which offer a unique lustre. In addition, the natural properties of the coconut husk strings have an absorbent quality which keeps the fragrance of our favorite oil-free hydrating serum lingering in the air all day long.

Images Courtesy of Aesop

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