Aesop Store Yorkville

Aesop Store Yorkville
© John Alunan

Aesop Store Yorkville 

Odami

ARCHITECTS
Odami

GENERAL CONTRACTORS
Structure Corp.

MEP & HVAC CONSULTANT
Spline Group 

MANUFACTURERS
Sika, Artemide, Benjamin Moore, A&d Woodturning, Andlight, Corian Solid Surface, Maharam, Vola

PHOTOGRAPHS
John Alunan

AREA
960 Ft²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Toronto, Canada

CATEGORY
Retail Interiors 

Text description provided by architect.

The 1960s brought about the erasure of entire neighborhoods in Toronto, replaced with expansive new developments. Yorkville, however, stood in sharp contrast.

Aesop Store Yorkville
© John Alunan
Aesop Store Yorkville
© John Alunan

By preserving and adapting many of its original Victorian houses, and therefore maintaining a more human scale, the area fostered a bustling street life, making it a unique destination within the downtown core.

Aesop Yorkville pays homage to the neighborhood’s history and architectural character to lend the space an inviting, domestic atmosphere. Organizationally, cues are taken from nearby gathering places.

Aesop Store Yorkville
© John Alunan
Aesop Store Yorkville
© John Alunan

Surrounding a large, open area, the perimeter is lined with vertical divisions which not only emphasize the verticality of the space but delineate the program into smaller enclaves. Between these partitions, traditional wooden spindles – characteristic of the Victorian porches and staircases of the nearby houses – are rethought as unconventional wainscoting.

Though familiar up close, their tight spacing resolves them into something new, a sculpted surface to manipulate light and shadow.

Aesop Store Yorkville
© John Alunan
Aesop Store Yorkville
© John Alunan

Further recalling the warmth of a Victorian interior, the paneling is coated with deep burgundy paint.

Carved out within the wall segments, three revolving cylinders theatrically reveal Aesop’s expanded fragrance line, as well as an infusion chamber, the company’s first in Canada.

Sitting in the middle of the space, the shared wash basin reinterprets the particular geometries of Victorian pedestal sinks, with their articulated corners, rounded edges, and heavy top volume perched on a recessed base.

A second sink is quietly nestled in the opposite corner, offering a more private customer experience.

Aesop Store Yorkville
© John Alunan


Aesop Store Yorkville
Axonometric View 1
Aesop Store Yorkville
Axonometric View 2


Aesop Store Yorkville
Aesop Store Yorkville
Floor Plan