Bold yet understated, the flagship store design of Forest of Chintz in southern Mumbai brings alive India’s glorious, ancient step-wells. The restrained material & color palette inspire an almost cavernous retail experience–providing a suitable backdrop for the label’s exuberant collections, facilitating an intimate rendezvous with the visitors.

An Ode to India’s Built Heritage
An Indian luxury label that makes statement accessories and haute couture–from clutches, neckpieces, & earrings, to scarves, tunics, & display mannequins. Contemporary yet finely detailed, FOC’s pieces are characterized by bright colors, delicate embroidery, & sequin embellishments.

Occupying 800sqft within the old Laxmi Wooden Mills building, the store is conceived to celebrate India’s rich heritage. Upon entering the store, one is greeted by an open-plan space with a continuous monolithic stepped display system running along the wall edges, encouraging visitors to take in the entire range of products at a glance. Reminiscent of traditional step-wells, the display’s edges meander in playful ins-outs that allow visitors to move around, pick up the products, touch or feel them.
A trio of massive arched windows on the East wall flood the space with daylight, a welcome asset of the old building envelope. The stepped display system is built with lightweight Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC)blocks (the space underneath is kept hollow as any additional load on the slab was to be minimized) and finished in grey cement plaster. This allows it to merge seamlessly into the walls and floors, creating a uniform finish throughout. The desired finish–raw, natural, yet smooth is grey POP: composition of grey cement, white cement, POP, & adhesive.

A Tailor-Made Ergonomic Display System
The heights and widths of the stepped platforms were determined based on a detailed study of FOC’s product collection, assessing the size & volume of each product. Cardboard mockups were created on-site to determine the placement of each item for easy ergonomic access and visual appreciation. For instance, accessories and clutch bags are flat-laid on the lowermost steps, while the taller displays of mannequins and jewelry pieces on busts are placed closer to eye level. This eases visibility & avoids overlooked pockets in the store as visitors traverse through the space. Sleek, minimalist brass fixtures are installed on the north & West walls to showcase the avant-garde apparel collection.

At the center of the store, hanging pendant lights finished in brass arrest the visitors’ gaze, creating a veritable ‘forest of lights’–a symbolic token inspired by the brand name. Underneath the pendant, a long, rectilinear island, finished ina distressed mirror is placed, reflecting the grey of the walls and the lights hanging above. This island is cleverly engineered to provide ample concealed storage for additional inventory. The pendant lights and the island create a centerpiece to bind the whole space together.