Project Name: Veron the Shop

Location: Bucharest, Romania

Design Team: IOG Arhitectura

Total Floor Area: 22 m²

Completion: 2024

Photography: Sabin Prodan

Feature:

Project - Veron The Shop is located in a former garage of a central building owned by the clients' family since its completion. Due to the successive layers of pavement added to the sidewalk and the degradation of the access ramp, the garage remained unused for decades. The client sought to revitalize the unused space by converting it into a small boutique for accessories and fashion items. The 22 sqm space consists of a main room that was intended for parking and a small storage room that, in the proposal, became the fitting room. The challenge was to create a contemporary identity for a small shop that, although street-facing, was not visible to passersby, as it is located in the basement level.

The proposal involved fully covering the space with pale pink ceramic tiles, using different formats depending on their placement. The walls were straightened out to accommodate the 10/10 cm format, the floor was tiled with a rectangular format laid in a herringbone pattern, and 5/5 cm tiles were used for the central island and accessory pedestal. The space has a low ceiling height of 230 cm, so to create a heightening effect through reflection, the ceiling was covered with plexiglass in a colour similar to the tiling.

To maintain the fluid atmosphere, the metal furniture was detached from the walls. The clothing racks are made of wavy metal bars, with the waves dictating a maximum number of displayed products, thus keeping the space's crisp ambiance. The reception desk is made from a blue metal sheet that wraps around the countertop and is detached from the walls. Even the fitting room is a detached element, consisting of a freestanding mirror ensemble surrounded by a curtain.

The only fixed elements remain the central island, covered in 5/5 cm ceramic tiles, and a pedestal for accessories placed near the entrance. The existing visibly deteriorated wooden garage door was not the original one. So for the main entrance, the proposed door replicates the design of the original metal garage door, but using clear glass instead of opaque, to naturally light the interior space and provide street-level visibility. This way, the store becomes a framed picture cut out from the building's facade, contributing to the depth of the street front.

When eliminating the destroyed access ramp, a small courtyard was created, framed by the existing garden planters and protected from the sidewalk by using the ground level difference. In this way, the store opens up to the neighbourhood, offering a familiar atmosphere. The main success of the project is the revitalization of an unused space, which, through this intervention, has become part of the local commerce of a vibrant central city neighbourhood.

Design Team - IOG Arhitectura is a well-known Bucharest based design & architecture office, founded by Omid Ghannadi and Ilinca Ghannadi in 2010. The office practice is defined by the desire to make architecture like a tailor's shop, with attention to the details that make a design become one of a kind. IOG's projects are known and awarded for the uncanny mix of materials, colours and textures that make each design an immersive experience for its users.

Omid Ghannadi is a founding partner of IOG Arhitectura and is credited for his contribution in the design process management and coordination of the entire design process of the projects. Ilinca Ghannadi is a founding partner of IOG Arhitectura, with a PhD in architecture theory, she is credited with concept development and implementation management of the projects.

Ana Georgescu is a senior architect and partner at IOG Arhitectura, credited with the completion of many representative projects of the office. Her expertise in the office is concept development and visualisation process. Teo Staicu is a senior architect and partner at IOG Arhitectura, credited with the quality of the implementation process of the office projects but also for the rigorous planning of the design process in the architecture design process and detailing.