The visual language of scientific laboratories informed the look of this blue-lit concept store in Monaco, which London firm Universal Design Studio has devised for skincare brand Biotherm.
Set inside Monaco's historic Oceanographic Institute, Blue Beauty Lab is where buyers and other industry insiders can come to expand their knowledge of the science underpinning Biotherm's skincare line.
Visitors enter the Blue Beauty Lab via a circular doorway
Although the 30-square-metre concept store showcases a selection of the brand's products, none of them are for sale. Instead, visitors can fully immerse themselves in the experience of being in the "lab".
"Brands are increasingly looking to physical presence for means above and beyond selling products," explained Satoshi Isono, creative director at Universal Design Studio. "They're harnessing spaces to storytell their core brand messaging in unique ways and ultimately connect with customers in a more impactful way."
The first section of the store is set up like a science lab
As the outer walls of Blue Beauty Lab back onto water tanks harbouring various aquatic creatures, Universal Design Studio had to keep architectural interventions to a minimum. As a result, the store's floor plan is fairly simple.
To enter, visitors walk through a circular doorway and a short mirrored tunnel. The interior is washed in sea-blue light and split into two parts.
Steel worktops and petri dishes add to the lab-like feel o...