Thursday, 23 February 2006 | Elif Sungur
The Modern Shop
Architecture and Shopping Between the Wars
In the 1920s and 1930s architects in Britain produced a number of striking shop designs. Some were influenced by the 1925 Paris Exhibition which enchanted visitors with the luxurious French Moderne design. Architects quickly copied its decorative motifs of stylised flowers, frozen fountains and angular outline shapes.
British chainstores, such as Montague Burton and Jaeger, adopted a standard design in their shop branches. Distinctive lettering and recognisable motifs were used on facades to achieve a corporate identity and to encourage brand loyalty.
British architects also gleaned ideas from the progressive modern shop design of Holland, France, Germany and Czechoslovakia shown in books and magazines.
An influx of émigré architects to Britain, including Erich Mendelsohn and Ernö Goldfinger, brought a further proliferation of European ideas.
American retailing methods were also a source of inspiration for both architects and entrepreneurs.
Modern design brought a move towards cleaner and simpler lines. Neon, chromium plate, stainless steel and aluminium were used to modernise shop facades. New materials like Vitrolite, a type of opaque coloured glass, gave the glossy finish of polished stone. Lettering applied directly to the fascia was often the only form of decoration.
This exhibition shows a range of historical drawings and vintage photographs, many rarely seen before, together with contemporary publications and original packaging.
The exhibition will take place between 2 March - 4 June 2006.
For more information, please visit http://www.architecture.com/go/Architectur...VandA_5137.html
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