Behind the Renaissance.. The Concept

Richard Moore of  Scenographic  was charged with creating the design concept for the Renaissance, we asked him all about his inspirations and thoughts behind the project;

What inspires you about Liberty?

Other than the obvious, like the building and amazing heritage its the people that work in Liberty that really inspire me. I get such a great sense of passion and devotion from the team that are behind this upgrade, and its always great to hear everybody’s point of view and try, where possible, to design something that will work both creatively and operationally.

Where/from what did you gather information when researching the Renaissance?

Almost everything. We really cast the net wide to start with and then honed in on the most powerful images or inspiration. I researched lots of Islamic architecture and detailing whilst on a trip to Marrakech which fed into certain elements of the design. I then fused this influence with more contemporary elements such as the oversized mirrors and rail details I had picked up along the way. There were obviously loads of great ideas that fell by the wayside as the design process evolved, which is natural, but I’m happy to say the strongest survived.

There will be two floors of Ladieswear, what was your inspiration for the space?

The inspiration mainly came from the colour palette, as this was a very simple way to  provide consistency across the departments and will throw the amazing architecture of the building into the forefront, after many years of being hidden away with visual clutter. As we all unanimously decided on the palette very early on in the design process, and we were all in agreement that it should be clean and chic, I went for a bone and anthracite combination with finishes such as a matt brass, natural linen and mirror. Everything then spun off from this really.

How does the Renaissance keep in with Arthur Liberty’s vision and ethos for the store?

I think that by putting the emphasis on the product and the architecture of the building, we are allowing his great shop to breathe once more. The design I’ve come up with isn’t flashy or showy, because it simply doesn’t need to be. The buy is so strong and we have so much confidence in the product and the newly aligned  rooms, this is what we want the customers to see and remember. One of the most dramatic changes will be in the new Scarf Room. This will form the new entrance to the store and with some clever moving of doors and returning the floor to a solid oak, this will provide the customers with a warm homely entrance.

What is your favourite room?

The room I’m most looking forward to seeing is International Atrium. I have designed a series of oversized mirrors for this space that effortlessly lean in the corners of the space and some are so tall they lean against the atrium well. There is also huge graphic carpet in the centre of the room and I’m really excited about seeing it in situ with the rails and mannequins. This I think will have a real wow factor.

Has that changed since you started seeing everything take shape?

Yes, I’m also excited about the Bazaar, having just done a site  visit, it’s really taking shape. This was a really difficult space to design for as the product adjacencies, layout of the space and the footfall of this room all seemed to be working against any concept, however when we simplified the design and focused on the product again, I think everything slotted into place and now its looking great.

So we’ve heard how the Renaissance has taken its form, next we will be looking at the new buy to see what will be new in store for the grand unveiling on the 14th…