Romantic and feminine, s t e e l e . HOUSE flagship store brings the online fashion retailer into the physical realm for the first time. Uniting tactile finishes with an understated colour palette, The Stylesmiths™ created a detail orientated interior design that harnesses the DNA of s t e e l e .
Our Stylesmith retail design team favoured a contemporary classic design aesthetic with a touch of softness, depth in materials and carefully curated collection of furnishings and fixtures that makes this space warm and welcoming. Honouring the brand’s roots that saw it grow from Melbourne to global success, the project features home-grown artisans such as Lucy Montgomery, Anna Charlesworth and Ash Allen, to keep it contemporary and local.
Guided by the brand’s distinct needs and aesthetic, this dreamy retail space functions as beautifully as it looks. s t e e l e . HOUSE fosters homeliness and connection for a unique community of creators, designers, bloggers and customers; somewhere for the online brand to call home. Part boutique retailer and part HQ office upstairs, The Stylesmiths™ re-designed the 1900’s heritage building to include retail, back of house, offices and meeting rooms, ensuring a flexible floorplan that can be reconfigured to host big gatherings of creatives when needed.
Our team of retail interior designers found bundles of inspiration in the brand’s ethos, “s t e e l e . evokes a brazen femininity that is effortless, inclusive and charged with captivating individuality.” These values are expressed via seasonal collections that often burst with colour and tonal hues, influencing the need for a muted built environment that compliments, rather than competes with the fashion garments, creating a gallery-style backdrop grounded in versatility.
Forging an underlying design language that is sympathetic to the original architecture down to the architraves and cornices, the ceiling roses are complimented by refined pendants and big sweeping archways were introduced between zones to create synergy and flow. Elegant stained-glass windows invite a wealth of natural sunlight to wash over the space, enhanced by walls in a gentle French wash that relaxes the main areas. Sophisticated interior decoration pairs a custom-built counter in raw plaster against marble plinths and tables, and soft linen rapes with neutral timber floorboards to create a layered harmony.
This retail interior strives to be welcoming and comfortable for all, fitted with curved furnishings and flattering lighting throughout. The dressing rooms emit a warm illumination that spills over the top of the booths, flooding the back wall with an ambient golden hue and heightened by a combination of clay paint colour, custom mirrors and recessed LED lighting. The burnt umber rug buoys the glow while wall sconces fanning upwards defuse the light further, adding depth to this ultra-feminine and timeless design that will adapt and grow alongside the brand for years to come.
