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Trends at The Bay

A shopfitout statement

· Case Studies

Fashion Boutique fit out, Trends at the Bay

Wardrobes and landfills are full of stuff we have been sold because its the right price but not the right thing.

Only buy what you love and then wear it out- Freya Cottrill

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Trends at the Bay is a retailer of local designed and made womens fashion. Freya, the owner, wanted a recycled fit out, that was modern, cleanable and reflected the light, bright, "honest" labels that she supports.

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We went with a lacquered Scandinavian style recycled timber fit-out as the building and clothes are modern, professional, timless and comfortable. the boutique is not so much a "fashion" boutique as a "classic" boutique.

The feature is the merchandise , not the fit out, but the "lived in" character of the recycled timber with its knots, nail holes and checkouts make for a more comfortable organic feel to the store than we would have been able to achieve with metal or laminates, plus is consistent with Freya's philosophy of sustainability.

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I love what Freya has done with the fit out, its so soft and comfortable, I can't help but want to run my hands over everything. - Marion Mikkelsen

One of the build challenges where 2 structural posts in the middle of the main showroom, which we clad in a slat screen that in turn we where able to cantilever shelves from making a virtue out of what had previously been a huge inconvenience

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The racking took some time to design, as we where trying to keep the local and sustainable theme consistent across the whole store and all the clothes racks we looked at for inspiration would require an unnecessary amount of timber to do the job. We took the clothes hanger as our inspiration, as the most efficient way to hang clothes, and coupled with the tremendous strength where able to design very light and stable clothes racks that give Freya plenty of space for merchandising outfits and accessories.

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We included floating shelves to minimise the vertical dividers, so shoppers can scan the whole store with no distractions for the eyes to move from gorgeousness to gorgeousness.

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Mirrors play an important role in presenting the merchandise, so we facelit the mirrors with LED's to provide optimum lighting and minimise shadows in the reflection.

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Our one indulgence (from a woodworkers perspective) was the reception counter that we made hollow (so we could lift it) and made a feature of a large piece of blue gum that had come in with a load of timber and an old branch that we had collected because of its amazing bone like look.

The cabinet behind the counter that contains the wifi, printer and other electronics for the store, we used fabric doors on, to minimise impact on signals.

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Freya and her daughter enjoying lunch from one of the wonderful cafes in Toowoon bay on the cafe table that we made to finish the courtyard and provide a calm quiet space for Freya and her customers to sit and reflect or as in this case simply enjoy a good feed. as a large part of Freya's business is providing seasonal styling sessions for her busier clients, a space that was comfortable and away from the showroom has been of enormous benefit.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Freya Cottrill (paraphrasing Leonardo Da Vinci)