The new Capsula Multi brand Store is a stunning and elegant space located on Andrassy Avenue, an iconic boulevard in Budapest dating back to 1872, lined with spectacular neo-renaissance mansions and townhouses featuring fine-facades and interiors. In 2002 it was recognized as a World Heritage site. It is also one of Budapest’s main shopping streets, with high fashion stores, trendy restaurants and richly decorated cafés.
The Capsula Multi-brand Store is the result of an intuitive and fruitful collaboration between the owner and two Hungarian architects, whom are responsible for creating an attractive contemporary space in a historic building. Luxury brands such as Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Givenchy and Blumarine are ready to sell their latest collections side by side, without the risk of disappearing into a line of coat hangers.
As the number of the shop windows on the facade were limited and the unique fashion-pieces, like a true master-piece, are in limited edition, the architects aim was to create a so called ‘exhibition space’. This is a new concept shopping-experience, which at the same time is a highly elegant, attractive, spacious and welcoming store. It is the first of its kind in Budapest, creating a powerful combination of urban flowing contemporary design and traditional heritage elements.
From outside, the great spectacular height of this space and the scenic brightness immediately attracts your attention. Inside, the spaces are resolved without barriers into a single open space, despite the original difference between the ceiling height of the front space and the back area of this historic building.
Entering the store, you have the experience of stepping into an exhibition space where the idea in materials, finishing, furnishing and ornamentation unify the composition. The garments are the centre of attention in front of the glossy, white large plains, bold curves and arched surfaces.
The simple cubic counter elevates a mannequin and displays it with its dress as an art object, and the black ‘shard of glass’ shaped form which hangs from the ceiling gives an extra stress to it. The display for shoes and bags on the wall re-interpret the multi-brand store’s typography, shaping the letter ‘a’ from the logo ‘Capsula’. Every opening and nook is used for a specific function.
The capsule shaped recess in the wall creates an exclusive cabinet space for the Tom Ford women’s collection.The ceiling is finished with shiny barrisol folia, a material that produces the effect of wispy reflective structure holed antagonism by the strong black painted steel columns, which the architects have kept in their original state.
The backspace of the store has a lower indoor height, so there was a certain need to connect the two parts as smoothly as possible. The front space flows into the back with a shiny arched ceiling, giving a comfortable transition to the different ratios.
Knowing manipulation of both lighting and space to make the small inner height seem attractive glowing-corridor are two of the factors contributing to the shop’s visual and aesthetic win. These elements are the major protagonists while at the same time bringing out the architecture itself. A studied repertoire of materials, finishing, lighting and a neutral pure black and white palette emphasizes the fashion items collection in the store, and the use of these eccentric resources gives the space an air of luxury.
The design result is excitement, creativity, innovation and interaction.It stimulates the senses and brings a new feel to traditional shopping-concepts, just as the designer’s plans intended. They created a story-board for the different shop areas on diversity. Gone is the design repetition so often found in shops, without lessening the unifying element of visual uniformity.
