Snøhetta lines Aesop store in Oslo with faceted oak panelling
Three-dimensional oak panelling covers the walls, ceiling and counter of this Aesop store interior in Oslo, designed by Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta (+ slideshow).
The oak panels feature randomly dispersed perforations that allow light to fall into the space below. They conceal a staircase that leads to a storage and staff room in the basement.
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Built-in shelving along each wall is broken on one side by an elongated sink, over which Snøhetta has placed brass plumbing elements.
Housed in the ground floor of a 1940s Functionalist apartment building, the 63-square-metre store takes inspiration from neighbouring properties, including an antique book store and a pharmacy.
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"[The oak] sort of gives the feeling of being in an old library," said Snøhetta.
"The use of wood emphasises a remembering of the old, and contributes to a warm and comfortable atmosphere."
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Aesop stores always take inspiration from their locale or setting. Dennis Paphitis, founder of the skincare brand, told Dezeen "there's a direct correlation between interesting, captivating store spaces and customer traffic within a store."
New York and Chicago firm Norman Kelley recently used reclaimed Chicago common bricks to clad the brand's first store in the city, while Kerstin Thompson Architects lined a Melbourne branch with dark Australian timber.
![Aesop store in Oslo designed by Snøhetta covered with three dimensional oak panels](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/06/aesop-store-interior-snohetta-oslo-oak-wood-geometric-cladding-retail-henriksen-snekkeri-majorstuen-norway_dezeen_936_1.jpg)
For the new Oslo store, oak fittings were produced locally by bespoke furniture maker and carpenter Henriksen Snekkeri.
The geometric panelling was inspired by the traditional woodworking technique intarsia – a form of wood inlaying used to create the illusion of depth.
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Located in the residential district of Majorstuen, the interior is designed to be a "handsome complement" to Aesop's first Oslo store in Prinsens Gate – also designed by Snøhetta.
The firm has also designed an Aesop store in Düsseldorf that invokes the shape of an amphitheatre, as well as an outpost in Singapore based on a nutmeg plantation formerly on the site.