Designer: Stylesmiths Helen G
Classic and stylish, the Melbourne Watch Company’s office-showroom located in the inner-city suburb of Carlton, is a physical manifestation of the company’s successful online presence. The Stylesmiths received a retail design brief that stipulated a unique customer journey that deviates away from the standard ‘behind glass retail experience.’ As such, the space takes its cues from the products, which are in turn inspired by the charm of Melbourne.
Shades of blues, chestnut browns and matte black finishes create a masculine energy that is as timeless as the watches on display. The timepieces, as they are rightfully named, are the heroes of this creative commercial interior project. Large photographs featuring the five most popular models take pride of place as the showroom’s central artwork and focus overlooking the meeting table. Influenced by the city in which they were designed, the timepieces are named accordingly: Portsea, Flinders, Fitzroy, Collins, Carlton, etc. In a similar way, the showroom-office design reflects Melbourne’s architectural heritage by fusing industrial elements with nautical style.
Exposed brickwork, timber beams and wooden floorboards showcase the buildings history, with old world style pieces that nod to the historically rich surroundings. Black and white framed photographs, vintage maps, local magazines and other artefacts ooze vintage Melbourne. Open display shelves allow the timepieces to sit comfortably amongst these cultural style items, illustrating how logically they appear to belong as part of the city’s landscape.
Shades of blue represent Port Phillip Bay, complemented by rounded furnishings with natural timber that give the space back some softness and counter balance the blue hues. Small fragile glass time-pieces on show are connected to the larger coffee table and multi-circle metal pendant, which effortlessly talk to each other. Pops of mint green and floral arrangements further offset the hard surfaces to create a balanced, retail interior design that directly responds to the brief; a space for clients to relax and view the range of timepieces at ease.
