Harmay

Harmay, a successful online cosmetic brand, approached us to design their very first offline store. With more and more consumers moving online to do their purchasing, why would a successful e-store set up shop in the real world? How could a physical space support the e-platform, and vice versa? Harmay, represents over hundreds brands of niche beauty products and cosmetics – a perfect retail product for online, but that didn’t give us a clear overall identity to work with. We decided not to reinvent the wheel, but instead provide a look at the cogs in the machine. The “store” mirrors the core of the business, and brings shoppers directly behind the scenes. This space operates as the heart – the ‘kitchen’ of the brand, you could say. While you select a new face wash, compare perfume bottles, or try on a lip color, others are doing the same – online orders stream in, products chosen and carefully packaged by real people, and sent out into the world. Shoppers in real life become part and parcel to the online process. A spiraled metal staircase takes shoppers to a small space on the second floor. Up here, the vibe is more lounge and leisure, a space for events and new product launches. A warmer palette mixes with a handmade vintage carpet, eclectic furniture, and electric blue stools. If the first level takes you behind the scenes of a known experience, the second floor puts you back in your comfort zone. The physical store functions like a warehouse, but located in a prime spot in the Former French Concession – perhaps a bold choice among all the cute boutiques, but Harmay was ready to do things differently. A transparent polycarbonate panel was used for the façade. Layered over the old façade, it gives the shop visual distinction from a line of other boutiques on the street, but also provides a visceral experience to the familiarity of shopping online.