Precast stone blocks coloured with red sandstone from Glamis Castle in Scotland form the walls of this refuge-style Aesop store that architecture studio Al-Jawad Pike has created in a west London shopping centre.
The studio designed the small store for skincare brand Aesop to be a retreat from the bustling aisles of Westfield shopping centre in Sheperd's Bush.
"We wanted the store to be a refuge from the busy mall environment, it is a sort of building within a building ? using genuine masonry construction rather than applied finishes or surfaces," Al-Jawad Pike co-founder Jessam Al-Jawad told Dezeen.

Earthy tones have been applied throughout the store. Powder from the same red sandstone that was used to make the 17th-century Glamis Castle in Scotland has been used to colour the precast stone blocks. The resulting red blockwork walls, which were built using two standard shapes of precast blocks, have been paired with red concrete-tile flooring and a clay plaster ceiling.

Set against the earthy red backdrop, Aesop's products are displayed on stainless steel shelves. While the main space is broken up by three cast resin sinks that were produced by Sabine Marcelis.
"We hope we created a calm ambience that enables customers to engage with the Aesop products," Al-Jawad explained.
"The hand-washing sinks which are a big part of the customers' interaction with the product and the sales people are also given centre stage ? being made out of honey-colou...