British architect David Adjaye OBE collaborated with The Webster’s founder and creative director Laure Heriard Dubreuil to create a flagship store that would express a tough yet gentle concept. Juxtaposed beneath the monolithic eight story structure, The Webster elegantly asserts itself as a sculptural and experiential counterpoint to the Beverly Center’s retail experience. The cantilevered concrete facade references and reimagines the brutalist shell of the original existing building and is injected with a pink dye—an ode to the luminosity of California, where the Pacific light naturally amplifies saturated colors. This remarkable geometrical composition it’s hard to miss on the hectic traffic circle in LA.
At the main entry, a panoramic window—comprised of three sheets of curved glass—creates an angular visual portal, dissolving the boundary between the public space and the retail inside. Conceived as a landscape of forms for display and inhabitation, the color and material palette of The Webster’s exterior identity continue into the interior.
The composition begins with a curved massing of concrete on the exterior of the store that creates a covered entrance. Seating area surrounds the outside establishing a very welcoming gathering space. The flooring is made up of grey concrete with scraps of dark cherry marble.
Delicate bronze clothing racks and mirrors were used to elevate the image throughout the store.
Walk into the dressing rooms and look up to find floral vintage wallpaper covering the higher parts of the walls.
Adjaye designed a sequence of nooks that are equipped with lights to act as a digital display that will stage artworks at a deliberately muted resolution. David Adjaye’s attention to detail does not go unrecognized: The Webster LA is a strong representation of the company’s DNA.
The 11,000 square-foot brick and mortar has become the seventh location for the company and David Adjaye’s first project in California.
pics © Laurian Ghinitoiu + Dror Baldinger + The Webster
// L’architetto di origini ghanesi e naturalizzato britannico David Adjaye OBE ha collaborato con la fondatrice e direttore creativo di The Webster Laure Heriard Dubreuil per creare un flagship store che fosse d’impatto ma delicato al contempo.
Giustapposto al monolitico department store di 8 piani, The Webster si afferma elegantemente come uno scultoreo elemento di contrasto all’ormai longevo e duro Beverly Center.
La facciata in cemento aggettante cita e ricrea il guscio brutalista dell’edificio originario esistente ma si tinge di rosa – un’ode alla luminosità della California, dove la luce del Pacifico ne intensifica naturalmente i colori saturi, e così, con questa inusuale composizione geometrica, risulta davvero difficile non notarla anche nel frenetico traffico di LA.
All’ingresso principale, una vetrata panoramica composta da vetri a nastro curvi, crea un’entrata dalla visuale secca, annullando il confine tra spazio pubblico e commerciale. Il tutto sottilineato ancor più dalla continuità di colori e materiali, tra l’esterno e l’interno dello spazio.
Un’”area salotto” coperta circonda lo spazio commerciale creando uno spazio molto accogliente. I pavimenti sono in cemento grigio con frammenti di marmo rosso ciliegia in pasta. Delicati appendiabiti e specchi in bronzo elevano l’immagine all’interno del negozio, così come le carte da parati floreali posate nella parte alta dei camerini.
L’attenzione al dettaglio di Adjaye rispecchia pienamente il DNA del gruppo The Webster.
Gli 11000 metri quadri di mattoni e malta son diventati la settima location per l’azienda ed il primo progetto di David Adjaye in California.
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