08 14th, 2008I’ve talked about each of these stores before. A recent visit to London gave me the opportunity to visit both within a couple of hours, which led me to think about how the experiences in them compare.
Nokia Flagship Store: Dark. Threatening. Exciting. Intense. Deep.
Apple Flagship Store: Light. Friendly. Discovery. Validating. Transparent.
Entering the Nokia store is like entering a video game: It’s not clear where you’re going, you need to explore and discover the levels of play. There’s a tension and an anticipation, an expectation that something thrilling is about to be revealed. Handsets are displayed in closed Lucite boxes or on pedestals, adding to the sense of mystique, but also to the distance. The dark palette and oddly high proportions of the ceiling (think Gothic awe) create a feeling of dominance and control that promises treasures if you explore. Reinforcing that, the ultra-high-end Vertu products are hidden at the far back of the space. On the negative side, there is too much empty space. Now what? Is there enough product here? Am I looking at the “right” things?
Entering the Apple store is like entering a great candy store: No surprises, here are the products, here are the prices. Bright, light, clear. Despite the open appearance, the store is rather fully packed. The glass stairs lead to the second level with the promise of more great things to find. Even if you never climb the stairs, you are left with the invitation, and with the sense that there is even more to delight you. There’s a validation and confirmation of your decisions; you are never left wondering if you are in the right place. You can see everything on display clearly from any point in the store.
I’m not saying that one store is “better designed” than the other. They have very different atmospheres, which is interesting.
New York Artist Dan Witz has been installing really awesome photo stickers on new buildings in Brooklyn. He writes:
In the past few years much of my neighborhood in Brooklyn has been torn down to make way for luxury housing. For better or worse it’s a whole new street-scape out here. Personally, I can’t say I like the new modern architecture very much, it’s sterile and alienating and so arrogantly disconnected with its surroundings sometimes it seems like giant alien space ships have landed. But let’s face it, bemoaning gentrification in New York City is futile, it’s like complaining about the noise or other unstoppable forces of urban nature.
So for this summer’s piece I tried to make the best of it. These are photo-based, heavily re-painted stickers, mounted on plastic and glued to the walls of the Ugly New Buildings. In May I put up around 30 and about half are still there.
See tons more: Ugly New Buildings
[via Urban Prankster]
What a stunning work: a pre-fab home extension that looks nicer than most custom designs. I like the size consideration (”permit exempt in most municipalities”), too.
Seen in Jerusalem:
Great café; nice decor. The whole facade is plate glass, including the sliding front door (maximizes usable interior space). Someone neglected to put any cushion or spring on that door. It shuts glass against glass. Ouch. I cringe every time it shuts (including when I’m the one shutting it). It already has some chips and dings.
Light is wonderful. Glass lets in the light, and connects the spaces. I’m delighted (sorry) to be seeing more and more glass used in architecture and interior design. Too bad it isn’t yet perfect.
Some of you will have noticed that the arrow in the top sign is pointing the wrong way (it’s pointing to the open direction, not the shut).
Mr. Gartenberg said people often first go to an Apple store out of curiosity. “Apparently a lot of them like what they’re seeing in the stores, they like the experience and they go back to buy the products,” he said.
The stores’ architecture also makes consumers feel good about spending money there.
In nearly a dozen high-profile urban centers — including New York, San Francisco, London and Glasgow — the signature feature is a glass staircase. Some of the staircases go straight up and others ascend in a spiral skein that appears to be held in place by nothing more than Apple hype. [via NYTimes.com]
There’s this one thing about glass stairs…
While I was in the London Apple store in March, one of the glass stairs about five from the top shattered suddenly and completely with a huge crash into thousands of “safety glass” smithereens (much to the surprise of a startled customer just a step or two below). The broken glass was contained by the surrounding glass enclosure, which was good, although it made it impossible to sweep up. After a missed beat or two, the dozens of customers went back to their serious shopping, and the store manager went up to punch out any remaining shards, and stomp on each remaining step to ensure it wasn’t about to go anywhere.
Yet another example of trust and design.
More than you ever wanted to know about the Apple stores’ glass stair construction here and here. I’ve seen indications that Apple was involved in the patents on the stair design. Why am I not surprised?
[image of Apple’s London store stairs from here]
