The Shelf Life
Has there ever been a time when presentation has been more important in retail spaces and trade/craft shows? Retail design has (thankfully) really become a valued source of innovation and beauty too. The products you sell are essential but so is how you showcase them. Branding, packaging, personal style, the little details – every facet adds up to a cohesive and handsome description of who you and your products are. Real estate has the adage “location, location, location” and I think retail could live by “presentation, presentation, presentation”! Most of my posts have been focused on this notion but I thought I would start to zero in on a couple more specific avenues of presentation. This week? Shelves! Yes, shelving is an intriguing facet of design and can apply to a retail shop as well as a craft or trade show. There are a million routes to go that can enhance your brand, style and overall product presentation. Oh and they have some pretty fantastic interior and industrial design possibilities too. Let’s take a look at some shelving inspiration and trends…
images via lmnop and apartment therapy
Maybe you aren’t after an über unique shelving look but colour and material choice still has a huge impact. A bright brand colour, sultry shine or raw pine shelf will all have very different effects on how your product is perceived by a customer. Wood shelving is beautiful in its natural style and is a great neutral for product presentation. It can also fit perfectly with fashion, natural or food-focused brands. How great does it look with metal and industrial fittings? I always love how wood shelving makes colour bins and products pop.
images via emmas designblogg, the artist and his model and yastik
You can’t go wrong with white or black shelving. Like wood, it is a blank canvas that lets your products speak for themselves. I love the idea of matte tone-on-tone shelving like that white example above. When a neutral or one solid colour is used, it allows form to become dominant much like those gorgeous black stair shelves. If you sell very colourful products or colour is a central part of your brand, wood or neutral shelving can create the gallery-like showcase you might desire.
images via the new york times and the cool hunter
Whoa. Colour. If that is the reaction you are after, consider a bold dash of colour in your shelving design. I love the idea of shelving in a brand hue, bright colours in general or colourful shelving boxes with white interiors so the products still have a blank canvas background. Imagine a line of trendy tennis clothing on shelves the colour of tennis balls or grass. Or Apple computers on pure white shelves allowing the graphic quality to speak for itself. Your shelving presentation can add so much to your brand and style in general.
images via sneakerology and OPUS Shop
If you have a shop or product line of one specific item, you can use its shape to inspire the entire shelving design. Sneakerology used the shape of a standard shoe box to create a massive wall of light up boxes that scream urban style. I love this example from OPUS Shop of an andulating wall of wood blocks created to showcase the company’s hooks for handbags. Combined with a colourful wall installation, the space is a work of art and makes the products feel much more design-oriented.
image via we heart
The packaging of your products can also dictate your shelving presentation and make a big splash. I love how EyeCandy used their colourful eyeglass boxes to create shelves and an art installation in its own right. The colourful rectangles burst across the retail space and highlight not only the glasses that rest on them but the brand itself.
images via yellowtrace and houzz
Aesop beautifully places shelves to house their beauty products and the result is a stunning design where branded labels take centre stage. In this case, the shelving is a key ingredient in making the brand feel expensive and luxurious. Ties are a great example of how product form can create a visually strong presentation. Sure, it would be easy to fold those ties on a table but the rolling shapes in small shelf pockets creates an eye-catching punch of colour and pattern. Packaging or product shape is a fantastic source for shelving inspiration and, if done well, can make your brand or shop a buzzed about source of design.
images via the obsessive imagist and from scandinavia with love
There is nothing weirder than a shop that has shelving that does not fit the products they are selling. Over Christmas, I was shopping in a clothing store and all of the accessory items were stuck on a high shelf that was virtually inaccessible to anyone shorter than Shaq. I am a hair under 5’10″ so if I can’t reach it, the majority of the shop’s target market of female clients are not even going to know those products exist! I love when shops and makers pick a presentation style that truly matches what they sell. If you just sell cards or thin stationery items, then very thin shelves are all you need. I think deep or high shelves should only be used if absolutely necessary. The closer your customer can get to your product, the better (oh and less dust is a bonus too!)
image via dezeen
UdK Bookshop created this gorgeous bookshelf out of six hundred corrugated-cardboard panels. What an inspiring design for both style and recycling prowess. I think it could also be applied, on a smaller scale perhaps, to travelling to trade and craft shows. Creating something that can fold or reduce into a much smaller shape will allow you to bring a unique, custom item to your destination.
image via dezeen
One of my favourite recent retail designs is bikeshop Spread by Gum. Inspired by those pin toys that one can press their face into and leave an impression, the wall is made of 5,412 recycled paper tubes that be moved a million different ways to shelve or cradle items. Awesome design meets flexible storage solution.
image via we heart
Who said shelves had to be on a wall? I love this giant blue chicken shelving unit because, well, it is a giant blue chicken. But it is also a flexible tool as it can be moved around a shop or re-painted for different looks. On a smaller scale, an eye-catching shelving unit like this could be created for a product show. I’m thinking everyone is going to want to head to the booth with a neon pink hippo shelf solution? Perhaps a brand logo or related object could become a shelving unit that can’t be ignored.
images via we heart and from me to you
Shelves don’t need to be traditional flat surfaces. I love how Kokoo Boutique used embedded umbrellas as jewellery hangers. Similarily, hat designer Satya Twena ditched the traditional shelves and placed her creations on floating pole shelves. Not only does this solution look great but it allows customers to better visualize the hat on their own head!
images via emmas designblogg and arch daily
Flexible shelving is a big trend lately and for good reason. Not only does it allow for a constantly changing shop look but it allows shelving to match the needs of different product dimensions. I love how Papelote stationery shop created a wall of metal clips to hold their paper goods. Another great idea is an Ikea-like wall of pegs so shelving planks can be moved to different locations and items can hang off the pegs themselves. These ideas are not only handsome for stores but can be easily applied to a product show booth design.
image via studiohvn
Rena pinned this fantastic display and storage system called ‘Revolver’. The shelves hook into the wooden frame and can be changed by the turn of a hand. These fold-down units would allow maximum flexibility to fit product needs and maybe even allow a retail space to become another type of venue. Shop to party space in a few quick shelf flips!
Inset or recessed shelving is a beautiful detail that allows you to make better use of your retail space. Painting the backs of the shelves a bright colour or using a different material like brick creates a fabulous look. I also love the idea of painting a mural across an entire wall and having the shelves remain a solid colour so the products really pop.
images via casa.com.br and australian interior design awards
Faceted and geometric shapes have been popular across design lately including retail design. I have seen a few examples of facet inset shelving that are just beautiful. Using a unique shape for recessed pockets or shelves can create a strong visual look for your space and brand. Oh the possibilities of those shapes being inspired by the materials used to create the products for sale…
Leaning ladders are a great shelving option because they are easily moved and can highlight items like blankets, scarves and other fabric products. I love how Darkroom used vibrant kelly green ladders on a charcoal grey wall. A functional shelving piece becomes a highlight of shop design. I have seen a lot more shops using two ladders to create impromptu shelving and it certainly has an industrial, down-to-earth appeal.
images via lucky mag and style canvas
Chairs are a mini-trend in retail shelving and why not? Stylish chairs like those rococo armchairs used by Drew Lewis are applied to the wall and become a captivating display. More artful than really functional shelving, this idea is an eye-catching installation for a shop or show booth with plenty of space.
Shelving and its ability to showcase products has so many avenues to explore from colour and material choice to off-the-wall designs. It is truly a cornerstone of presentation and retail design. Use your brand and target market to find something that not only fits your style but also your functional needs. Whether you want a fuss-free storage solution or a captivating art installation, the world is your (shelving) oyster! – Chloé
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Wow, what an amazing compilation of ideas!! Hopefully I can put those to practice, sooner than later. Thank you for putting all these images together.
Great article! Amazing compilation of shelving alternatives to use or inspire!