Living Beauty Retail Shop

English description provided by the architects.

Traditionally defined by dark wood, elaborate detailing, and a plethora of small drawers containing unseen intrigues, these service-forward spaces offered intimate consultations conducted on either side of a counter.

Located in Toronto's Christie Pits neighborhood, Living Beauty intends a personalized, one-to-one experience for visitors.

Tracing the perimeter, subtly arched product bays with an abundance of drawer storage for supplementary stock establish a multiplied form that's both functional and visually compelling.

Departing from the dark wood of traditional apothecaries, the clay-toned millwork espouses a light, uniform backdrop for different products and branding, anchored by Breccia Oniciata marble that transforms each bay into its own service counter.

Rounded tambour paneling, bevelled at both ends, creates a rhythmic geometric pattern that provides texture and interest as one navigates the store.

The simple but unique arrangement completes at the centre of the space, fostering a powerful visual pathway to the threshold where the store transitions to the treatment area.

Beyond the fluted glass window, the Living Beauty spa subtly evokes the design language of the retail shop while enacting a distinct spatial experience for rest and relaxation.

To carve out individual treatment rooms, we designed a high-gloss cube, a reflective form that converses with mirrored millwork, vintage sconces, and cove lighting to generate a sense of luminosity in the corridors.

This clean, mint-toned structure offers an unexpected and refreshing contrast to the space's otherwise warm palette.Such gestures allow Living Beauty to celebrate a relevant typology of the past through modern design thinking.