VENROY opens their first store in Victoria. A Mediterranean escape at High Street Armadale.
Australian leisurewear label, VENROY has announced the opening of their first store in Victoria, located at 1017 High Street Armadale. Their sixth store, VENROY Armadale is the embodiment of the brand’s ethos, that is, to live life supremely relaxed.
Interiors: Sarah I’ Anson
Words by: Venroy
Photography by: Tom Ross
VENROY opens their first store in Victoria. A Mediterranean escape at High Street Armadale.
Australian leisurewear label, VENROY has announced the opening of their first store in Victoria, located at 1017 High Street Armadale. Their sixth store, VENROY Armadale is the embodiment of the brand’s ethos, that is, to live life supremely relaxed.
Like all VENROY stores, the space has been designed to be transportive, taking customers on a journey to aspirational destinations around the world. For Armadale, the use of Australian limestone as the hero element underpins their signature retail aesthetic of using natural materials and an understated, neutral colour palette. Quarried from South Australia, the singular use of material en masse is reminiscent of traditional limestone villas in the Mediterranean and plays into the importance of travel within the VENROY brand story.
Natural materials including the use of red American oak, coir, linen, and sisal are key features of the store design. Their textural appeal creates a sense of ease and warmth in the space, evoking feelings of nostalgia of times spent on holidays in the sun. Custom stainless-steel metalwork and a venetian plaster ceiling brings the space back to a contemporary, retail setting.
In introducing a bricks and mortar concept to Melbourne, Founder & Director, Sean Venturi says of the design, “my vision for Armadale was to create a space which felt like a hotel lobby in the Mediterranean; a place where people could shift their mindset to a more idyllic escape.”
In collaboration with Sarah I'Anson Design Office, the store directly references Jørn Utzon’s holiday home in Majorca, Spain. His purist aesthetic and use of a monochromatic colour palette was particularly appealing to the design. Utzon is the architect behind the Sydney Opera House, and as the birthplace of the VENROY brand, a conscious source of inspiration.
In another nod to Sydney designers, a curated edit of furnishings including a Henry Wilson Pillar Lamp in honey onyx, a stainless steel and glass sculptural Like Butter Table by Olivia Bossy and a vintage burl console sourced from The Vault are key accents in the space.
The custom seating was inspired by furniture found in transient locations, such as hotel lobbies and airports. The curved shape directly references the iconic Cloverleaf Sofa designed by Verner Ebbesen, found in the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge at Hong Kong Airport. Upholstery is designed by Vincent van Duysen and Anna Vilhelmine Ebbesen, using a twisted yarn and chenille for a soft handle, but also the appearance of movement.
“In collaboration with Sarah I'Anson Design Office, we wanted to ensure that our first Armadale store was cohesive with our other stores, but also held a distinct, new feeling which catered to Armadale. We played with natural materials in line with our laid-back, resort aesthetic but purposefully designed the space as an elevated visual landscape, using textures and features to create a monastic-like sanctuary amongst the bustle of the community” says Venturi.
To complete the project, VENROY engaged EMAC Constructions, who specialise in premium, boutique shopfitting. EMAC is a Green Building Council Member and is working towards a net zero carbon offset. They utilise sustainable materials and prioritize optimal manufacturing techniques. With many shopfitters looking to offshore manufacturing, EMAC has challenged this trend by continuing to support local.
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