Aesop Fashion Valley inhabits a corner unit of the open-air retail center, which first opened in 1969. Six years earlier, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies—in nearby La Jolla—opened its doors. The Institute was founded by Jonas Salk, who developed the Polio vaccine, and was designed by twentieth-century architect Louis Kahn.

Aesop’s in-house Design Department drew inspiration from the offices and open-plan laboratories of Kahn’s monumental work for the store’s design. The façade’s floor-to-ceiling glazing system is interrupted by a tilted, wood-formed concrete mass that suggests the Salk Institute’s diagonal tower protrusions and creates an intimate alcove within the store.

The store’s modest footprint is left unobstructed, with a single basin and counter volume complemented by discreet inset shelving. Kahn’s window louvres have been adapted into a canopy of powder-coated aluminum fins that moderate the lighting condition. Materials were chosen to evoke laboratory workstations: brushed stainless steel fixtures, taupe epoxy floor coating, and tempered bronze glass all contribute to an atmosphere of scientific objectivity.

Location: San Diego, California
Design: Aesop Design Department

Aesop Fashion Valley inhabits a corner unit of the open-air retail center, which first opened in 1969. Six years earlier, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies—in nearby La Jolla—opened its doors. The Institute was founded by Jonas Salk, who developed the Polio vaccine, and was designed by twentieth-century architect Louis Kahn.

Aesop’s in-house Design Department drew inspiration from the offices and open-plan laboratories of Kahn’s monumental work for the store’s design. The façade’s floor-to-ceiling glazing system is interrupted by a tilted, wood-formed concrete mass that suggests the Salk Institute’s diagonal tower protrusions and creates an intimate alcove within the store.

The store’s modest footprint is left unobstructed, with a single basin and counter volume complemented by discreet inset shelving. Kahn’s window louvres have been adapted into a canopy of powder-coated aluminum fins that moderate the lighting condition. Materials were chosen to evoke laboratory workstations: brushed stainless steel fixtures, taupe epoxy floor coating, and tempered bronze glass all contribute to an atmosphere of scientific objectivity.

Location: San Diego, California
Design: Aesop Design Department

Aesop Fashion Valley inhabits a corner unit of the open-air retail center, which first opened in 1969. Six years earlier, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies—in nearby La Jolla—opened its doors. The Institute was founded by Jonas Salk, who developed the Polio vaccine, and was designed by twentieth-century architect Louis Kahn.

Aesop’s in-house Design Department drew inspiration from the offices and open-plan laboratories of Kahn’s monumental work for the store’s design. The façade’s floor-to-ceiling glazing system is interrupted by a tilted, wood-formed concrete mass that suggests the Salk Institute’s diagonal tower protrusions and creates an intimate alcove within the store.

The store’s modest footprint is left unobstructed, with a single basin and counter volume complemented by discreet inset shelving. Kahn’s window louvres have been adapted into a canopy of powder-coated aluminum fins that moderate the lighting condition. Materials were chosen to evoke laboratory workstations: brushed stainless steel fixtures, taupe epoxy floor coating, and tempered bronze glass all contribute to an atmosphere of scientific objectivity.

Location: San Diego, California
Design: Aesop Design Department

Aesop Fashion Valley inhabits a corner unit of the open-air retail center, which first opened in 1969. Six years earlier, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies—in nearby La Jolla—opened its doors. The Institute was founded by Jonas Salk, who developed the Polio vaccine, and was designed by twentieth-century architect Louis Kahn.

Aesop’s in-house Design Department drew inspiration from the offices and open-plan laboratories of Kahn’s monumental work for the store’s design. The façade’s floor-to-ceiling glazing system is interrupted by a tilted, wood-formed concrete mass that suggests the Salk Institute’s diagonal tower protrusions and creates an intimate alcove within the store.

The store’s modest footprint is left unobstructed, with a single basin and counter volume complemented by discreet inset shelving. Kahn’s window louvres have been adapted into a canopy of powder-coated aluminum fins that moderate the lighting condition. Materials were chosen to evoke laboratory workstations: brushed stainless steel fixtures, taupe epoxy floor coating, and tempered bronze glass all contribute to an atmosphere of scientific objectivity.

Location: San Diego, California
Design: Aesop Design Department

Aesop Fashion Valley inhabits a corner unit of the open-air retail center, which first opened in 1969. Six years earlier, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies—in nearby La Jolla—opened its doors. The Institute was founded by Jonas Salk, who developed the Polio vaccine, and was designed by twentieth-century architect Louis Kahn.

Aesop’s in-house Design Department drew inspiration from the offices and open-plan laboratories of Kahn’s monumental work for the store’s design. The façade’s floor-to-ceiling glazing system is interrupted by a tilted, wood-formed concrete mass that suggests the Salk Institute’s diagonal tower protrusions and creates an intimate alcove within the store.

The store’s modest footprint is left unobstructed, with a single basin and counter volume complemented by discreet inset shelving. Kahn’s window louvres have been adapted into a canopy of powder-coated aluminum fins that moderate the lighting condition. Materials were chosen to evoke laboratory workstations: brushed stainless steel fixtures, taupe epoxy floor coating, and tempered bronze glass all contribute to an atmosphere of scientific objectivity.

Location: San Diego, California
Design: Aesop Design Department

Aesop Fashion Valley inhabits a corner unit of the open-air retail center, which first opened in 1969. Six years earlier, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies—in nearby La Jolla—opened its doors. The Institute was founded by Jonas Salk, who developed the Polio vaccine, and was designed by twentieth-century architect Louis Kahn.

Aesop’s in-house Design Department drew inspiration from the offices and open-plan laboratories of Kahn’s monumental work for the store’s design. The façade’s floor-to-ceiling glazing system is interrupted by a tilted, wood-formed concrete mass that suggests the Salk Institute’s diagonal tower protrusions and creates an intimate alcove within the store.

The store’s modest footprint is left unobstructed, with a single basin and counter volume complemented by discreet inset shelving. Kahn’s window louvres have been adapted into a canopy of powder-coated aluminum fins that moderate the lighting condition. Materials were chosen to evoke laboratory workstations: brushed stainless steel fixtures, taupe epoxy floor coating, and tempered bronze glass all contribute to an atmosphere of scientific objectivity.

Location: San Diego, California
Design: Aesop Design Department

Aesop’s Lincoln Park signature store in Chicago was designed in collaboration with architects Norman Kelley. Situated among the parks and homes of the neighborhood, it pays homage to the city’s famous modernist tradition.

Location: Lincoln Park, Chicago
Design: Norman Kelley

Aesop’s Lincoln Park signature store in Chicago was designed in collaboration with architects Norman Kelley. Situated among the parks and homes of the neighborhood, it pays homage to the city’s famous modernist tradition.

Location: Lincoln Park, Chicago
Design: Norman Kelley

Aesop’s Lincoln Park signature store in Chicago was designed in collaboration with architects Norman Kelley. Situated among the parks and homes of the neighborhood, it pays homage to the city’s famous modernist tradition.

Location: Lincoln Park, Chicago
Design: Norman Kelley

Aesop’s Lincoln Park signature store in Chicago was designed in collaboration with architects Norman Kelley. Situated among the parks and homes of the neighborhood, it pays homage to the city’s famous modernist tradition.

Location: Lincoln Park, Chicago
Design: Norman Kelley

Aesop’s fourth signature store in Montréal was created in partnership with the Québécois architect Alain Carle. Situated a stone’s throw from the Lachine Canal, its surrounds include some of Montréal’s most popular eateries.

In the nineteenth century, Petite Bourgogne was the city’s industrial center and home to many factory workers. When industry began to wane in the early twentieth century, the district took on a new character, becoming a thriving jazz hub in the 1920s and remaining so for several decades. Among its many notable proponents were Oscar Peterson, Louis Metcalf and Steep Wade.

The store’s design subtly references the neighborhood’s smokestack era and jazz age alike. Brass displays and curvilinear timber frame the space, evocative of the fluid shapes of brass instruments. Perforated metal and timber pipes reference the industrial past, while walls and a floor-to-ceiling curtain of hunter green evince the atmosphere of an intimate nighttime venue.

Location: Petite Bourgogne, Montreal
Design: Alain Carle

Aesop’s fourth signature store in Montréal was created in partnership with the Québécois architect Alain Carle. Situated a stone’s throw from the Lachine Canal, its surrounds include some of Montréal’s most popular eateries.

In the nineteenth century, Petite Bourgogne was the city’s industrial center and home to many factory workers. When industry began to wane in the early twentieth century, the district took on a new character, becoming a thriving jazz hub in the 1920s and remaining so for several decades. Among its many notable proponents were Oscar Peterson, Louis Metcalf and Steep Wade.

The store’s design subtly references the neighborhood’s smokestack era and jazz age alike. Brass displays and curvilinear timber frame the space, evocative of the fluid shapes of brass instruments. Perforated metal and timber pipes reference the industrial past, while walls and a floor-to-ceiling curtain of hunter green evince the atmosphere of an intimate nighttime venue.

Location: Petite Bourgogne, Montreal
Design: Alain Carle

Aesop’s fourth signature store in Montréal was created in partnership with the Québécois architect Alain Carle. Situated a stone’s throw from the Lachine Canal, its surrounds include some of Montréal’s most popular eateries.

In the nineteenth century, Petite Bourgogne was the city’s industrial center and home to many factory workers. When industry began to wane in the early twentieth century, the district took on a new character, becoming a thriving jazz hub in the 1920s and remaining so for several decades. Among its many notable proponents were Oscar Peterson, Louis Metcalf and Steep Wade.

The store’s design subtly references the neighborhood’s smokestack era and jazz age alike. Brass displays and curvilinear timber frame the space, evocative of the fluid shapes of brass instruments. Perforated metal and timber pipes reference the industrial past, while walls and a floor-to-ceiling curtain of hunter green evince the atmosphere of an intimate nighttime venue.

Location: Petite Bourgogne, Montreal
Design: Alain Carle

Aesop’s fourth signature store in Montréal was created in partnership with the Québécois architect Alain Carle. Situated a stone’s throw from the Lachine Canal, its surrounds include some of Montréal’s most popular eateries.

In the nineteenth century, Petite Bourgogne was the city’s industrial center and home to many factory workers. When industry began to wane in the early twentieth century, the district took on a new character, becoming a thriving jazz hub in the 1920s and remaining so for several decades. Among its many notable proponents were Oscar Peterson, Louis Metcalf and Steep Wade.

The store’s design subtly references the neighborhood’s smokestack era and jazz age alike. Brass displays and curvilinear timber frame the space, evocative of the fluid shapes of brass instruments. Perforated metal and timber pipes reference the industrial past, while walls and a floor-to-ceiling curtain of hunter green evince the atmosphere of an intimate nighttime venue.

Location: Petite Bourgogne, Montreal
Design: Alain Carle

Aesop’s fourth signature store in Montréal was created in partnership with the Québécois architect Alain Carle. Situated a stone’s throw from the Lachine Canal, its surrounds include some of Montréal’s most popular eateries.

In the nineteenth century, Petite Bourgogne was the city’s industrial center and home to many factory workers. When industry began to wane in the early twentieth century, the district took on a new character, becoming a thriving jazz hub in the 1920s and remaining so for several decades. Among its many notable proponents were Oscar Peterson, Louis Metcalf and Steep Wade.

The store’s design subtly references the neighborhood’s smokestack era and jazz age alike. Brass displays and curvilinear timber frame the space, evocative of the fluid shapes of brass instruments. Perforated metal and timber pipes reference the industrial past, while walls and a floor-to-ceiling curtain of hunter green evince the atmosphere of an intimate nighttime venue.

Location: Petite Bourgogne, Montreal
Design: Alain Carle

For Aesop Vieux-Montréal, located on the ground floor of the Harrison-Stephens building in the city’s historic quarter, Aesop’s in-house Design Department conceived an interior redolent of the area’s industrial roots. The space also reflects the host building’s storied history—a place of residence; boot manufacturer; warehouse for paints, oils and glass; and haberdashery store among its many past lives.

The store’s design assumes a relaxed pragmatism which embraces off-the-shelf construction materials—such as L-shaped steel bars, common bricks and fibre cement board—and a utilitarian aesthetic.

The imperfection of original brickwork and timber is mirrored in the unfinished quality of the material palette. Additions to an otherwise linear layout include a textural waxed canvas curtain and a pair of Fritz Hansen Pelikan side chairs.

Location: Vieux Montréal, Montreal
Design: Aesop Design Department

For Aesop Vieux-Montréal, located on the ground floor of the Harrison-Stephens building in the city’s historic quarter, Aesop’s in-house Design Department conceived an interior redolent of the area’s industrial roots. The space also reflects the host building’s storied history—a place of residence; boot manufacturer; warehouse for paints, oils and glass; and haberdashery store among its many past lives.

The store’s design assumes a relaxed pragmatism which embraces off-the-shelf construction materials—such as L-shaped steel bars, common bricks and fibre cement board—and a utilitarian aesthetic.

The imperfection of original brickwork and timber is mirrored in the unfinished quality of the material palette. Additions to an otherwise linear layout include a textural waxed canvas curtain and a pair of Fritz Hansen Pelikan side chairs.

Location: Vieux Montréal, Montreal
Design: Aesop Design Department

For Aesop Vieux-Montréal, located on the ground floor of the Harrison-Stephens building in the city’s historic quarter, Aesop’s in-house Design Department conceived an interior redolent of the area’s industrial roots. The space also reflects the host building’s storied history—a place of residence; boot manufacturer; warehouse for paints, oils and glass; and haberdashery store among its many past lives.

The store’s design assumes a relaxed pragmatism which embraces off-the-shelf construction materials—such as L-shaped steel bars, common bricks and fibre cement board—and a utilitarian aesthetic.

The imperfection of original brickwork and timber is mirrored in the unfinished quality of the material palette. Additions to an otherwise linear layout include a textural waxed canvas curtain and a pair of Fritz Hansen Pelikan side chairs.

Location: Vieux Montréal, Montreal
Design: Aesop Design Department

For Aesop Vieux-Montréal, located on the ground floor of the Harrison-Stephens building in the city’s historic quarter, Aesop’s in-house Design Department conceived an interior redolent of the area’s industrial roots. The space also reflects the host building’s storied history—a place of residence; boot manufacturer; warehouse for paints, oils and glass; and haberdashery store among its many past lives.

The store’s design assumes a relaxed pragmatism which embraces off-the-shelf construction materials—such as L-shaped steel bars, common bricks and fibre cement board—and a utilitarian aesthetic.

The imperfection of original brickwork and timber is mirrored in the unfinished quality of the material palette. Additions to an otherwise linear layout include a textural waxed canvas curtain and a pair of Fritz Hansen Pelikan side chairs.

Location: Vieux Montréal, Montreal
Design: Aesop Design Department

Created by Aesop’s in-house Design Department, the second Houston signature store is located in the historic Heights neighborhood. Situated in a charming suburban landscape of traditional Victorian and Bungalow dwellings, the store’s materiality reflects a quintessentially American domesticity.

Inspired by the particulars of this setting, the design for the 550-square foot space references the traditional use of brick, wood, steel, and laminate in these housing typologies, allowing for a meaningful dialogue with surrounding built heritage. Rich, dark-stained Walnut product cabinetry, for example, features detailing inspired by the furniture of a 1950s kitchen. Their interior surfaces are backed with a linen-style laminate—a stylistic choice that captures the tastes of the time.

A bending kitchen island in rough stainless steel houses point-of-sale functions and demonstration sink, offering contrast to the store’s textural backdrop of hand-troweled red clay and monochrome palette. A custom-built dining table and a Gill table lamp by Roberto Pamio complete the domestic tableau.

Location: Heights Mercantile, Houston
Design: Aesop Design Department

Created by Aesop’s in-house Design Department, the second Houston signature store is located in the historic Heights neighborhood. Situated in a charming suburban landscape of traditional Victorian and Bungalow dwellings, the store’s materiality reflects a quintessentially American domesticity.

Inspired by the particulars of this setting, the design for the 550-square foot space references the traditional use of brick, wood, steel, and laminate in these housing typologies, allowing for a meaningful dialogue with surrounding built heritage. Rich, dark-stained Walnut product cabinetry, for example, features detailing inspired by the furniture of a 1950s kitchen. Their interior surfaces are backed with a linen-style laminate—a stylistic choice that captures the tastes of the time.

A bending kitchen island in rough stainless steel houses point-of-sale functions and demonstration sink, offering contrast to the store’s textural backdrop of hand-troweled red clay and monochrome palette. A custom-built dining table and a Gill table lamp by Roberto Pamio complete the domestic tableau.

Location: Heights Mercantile, Houston
Design: Aesop Design Department

Created by Aesop’s in-house Design Department, the second Houston signature store is located in the historic Heights neighborhood. Situated in a charming suburban landscape of traditional Victorian and Bungalow dwellings, the store’s materiality reflects a quintessentially American domesticity.

Inspired by the particulars of this setting, the design for the 550-square foot space references the traditional use of brick, wood, steel, and laminate in these housing typologies, allowing for a meaningful dialogue with surrounding built heritage. Rich, dark-stained Walnut product cabinetry, for example, features detailing inspired by the furniture of a 1950s kitchen. Their interior surfaces are backed with a linen-style laminate—a stylistic choice that captures the tastes of the time.

A bending kitchen island in rough stainless steel houses point-of-sale functions and demonstration sink, offering contrast to the store’s textural backdrop of hand-troweled red clay and monochrome palette. A custom-built dining table and a Gill table lamp by Roberto Pamio complete the domestic tableau.

Location: Heights Mercantile, Houston
Design: Aesop Design Department

Created by Aesop’s in-house Design Department, the second Houston signature store is located in the historic Heights neighborhood. Situated in a charming suburban landscape of traditional Victorian and Bungalow dwellings, the store’s materiality reflects a quintessentially American domesticity.

Inspired by the particulars of this setting, the design for the 550-square foot space references the traditional use of brick, wood, steel, and laminate in these housing typologies, allowing for a meaningful dialogue with surrounding built heritage. Rich, dark-stained Walnut product cabinetry, for example, features detailing inspired by the furniture of a 1950s kitchen. Their interior surfaces are backed with a linen-style laminate—a stylistic choice that captures the tastes of the time.

A bending kitchen island in rough stainless steel houses point-of-sale functions and demonstration sink, offering contrast to the store’s textural backdrop of hand-troweled red clay and monochrome palette. A custom-built dining table and a Gill table lamp by Roberto Pamio complete the domestic tableau.

Location: Heights Mercantile, Houston
Design: Aesop Design Department

Created by Aesop’s in-house Design Department, the second Houston signature store is located in the historic Heights neighborhood. Situated in a charming suburban landscape of traditional Victorian and Bungalow dwellings, the store’s materiality reflects a quintessentially American domesticity.

Inspired by the particulars of this setting, the design for the 550-square foot space references the traditional use of brick, wood, steel, and laminate in these housing typologies, allowing for a meaningful dialogue with surrounding built heritage. Rich, dark-stained Walnut product cabinetry, for example, features detailing inspired by the furniture of a 1950s kitchen. Their interior surfaces are backed with a linen-style laminate—a stylistic choice that captures the tastes of the time.

A bending kitchen island in rough stainless steel houses point-of-sale functions and demonstration sink, offering contrast to the store’s textural backdrop of hand-troweled red clay and monochrome palette. A custom-built dining table and a Gill table lamp by Roberto Pamio complete the domestic tableau.

Location: Heights Mercantile, Houston
Design: Aesop Design Department

Aesop at Saks Fifth Avenue is situated within the iconic retailer’s flagship store. Designed in collaboration with mlkk studio, the space is distinguished by extensive use of hand-made Terracotta tiles, individually glazed in bold blue tones.

Location: Saks Fifth Ave, New York
Design: mlkk studio

Aesop at Saks Fifth Avenue is situated within the iconic retailer’s flagship store. Designed in collaboration with mlkk studio, the space is distinguished by extensive use of hand-made Terracotta tiles, individually glazed in bold blue tones.

Location: Saks Fifth Ave, New York
Design: mlkk studio

Aesop at Saks Fifth Avenue is situated within the iconic retailer’s flagship store. Designed in collaboration with mlkk studio, the space is distinguished by extensive use of hand-made Terracotta tiles, individually glazed in bold blue tones.

Location: Saks Fifth Ave, New York
Design: mlkk studio

This Aesop signature store in the heart of New York’s financial district is situated in one of the concourses within the Oculus at the World Trade Center transportation hub. The space was designed in collaboration with architecture and design office Architensions, which operates globally from New York, and is marked by a dynamic material palette.

In a nod to rustic tactility, the shelving’s rear walls are covered in burlap, while the surface is of weathered steel—a juxtaposition redolent of railway tracks, and of the new transit hub in which the store is located. The fabric works in tandem with leather flooring to absorb sound, insulating the interior from exterior noise.

Location: The Oculus, New York
Design: Architensions

This Aesop signature store in the heart of New York’s financial district is situated in one of the concourses within the Oculus at the World Trade Center transportation hub. The space was designed in collaboration with architecture and design office Architensions, which operates globally from New York, and is marked by a dynamic material palette.

In a nod to rustic tactility, the shelving’s rear walls are covered in burlap, while the surface is of weathered steel—a juxtaposition redolent of railway tracks, and of the new transit hub in which the store is located. The fabric works in tandem with leather flooring to absorb sound, insulating the interior from exterior noise.

Location: The Oculus, New York
Design: Architensions

This Aesop signature store in the heart of New York’s financial district is situated in one of the concourses within the Oculus at the World Trade Center transportation hub. The space was designed in collaboration with architecture and design office Architensions, which operates globally from New York, and is marked by a dynamic material palette.

In a nod to rustic tactility, the shelving’s rear walls are covered in burlap, while the surface is of weathered steel—a juxtaposition redolent of railway tracks, and of the new transit hub in which the store is located. The fabric works in tandem with leather flooring to absorb sound, insulating the interior from exterior noise.

Location: The Oculus, New York
Design: Architensions

This Aesop signature store in the heart of New York’s financial district is situated in one of the concourses within the Oculus at the World Trade Center transportation hub. The space was designed in collaboration with architecture and design office Architensions, which operates globally from New York, and is marked by a dynamic material palette.

In a nod to rustic tactility, the shelving’s rear walls are covered in burlap, while the surface is of weathered steel—a juxtaposition redolent of railway tracks, and of the new transit hub in which the store is located. The fabric works in tandem with leather flooring to absorb sound, insulating the interior from exterior noise.

Location: The Oculus, New York
Design: Architensions