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Designed by UK retail specialists HMKM, is the first Robinsons department store in the region recently opened at Al-Futtaim’s Dubai Festival City, and currently undergoing a major expansion program.
This store of inspirations is the largest department store in the region, at 200,000 sqft with 600 local, regional and international brands.
Robinsons offers three magnificent floors of contemporary and designer fashion, food, art and culture experiences, premium services, guests will delight in an immersive journey making each visit more enchanting than the last.
HMKM’s vision draws its inspiration from Robinsons’ roots, in particular, from Singapore’s blend of green landscapes and edgy contemporary architecture, to produce a scheme founded on the notion of a future landscape.
That dynamic runs through every aspect of the design, starting with a series of dramatic external and internal facades which blend large-scale animated screens with sinuous, interlacing lines of timber, bronze anodised aluminium and polished brass, and large scale vertical garden walls and columns by world renowned visionary botanist designer Patrick Blanc. Throughout the interior, contemporary forms and digital elements are balanced with warm materials and lush planting.
Customers approaching from the waterfront arrive into the ground floor menswear space via a series of broad, terrace-like steps. The department is centred on a central pavilion, defined by a slatted oak ceiling raft and fleshed out with herringbone leather paneled walls, end-grain oak flooring, warm lacquers and dark metal frames. Nearby, a destination urban zone is given its own identity, polished concrete flooring, and fixtures crafted from timber, terrazzo and perforated metal.
Floored in honed Palissandro Classico and Kaliston marbles, the remainder of the floor is devoted to beauty, with a studio-style make-up zone framed in shimmering metal and centred under a bespoke geometric light installation. Fragrance gets a softer feel, with rich marble and brass fixtures, soft Deco chandeliers and plush seating.
The first floor is dedicated to womenswear and accessories, and is articulated by a series of internal rotundas, each of which are centred on a swooping, tree-like timber frame, designed to filter daylight and create memorable sculptural statements. Lingerie is given its own distinct atmosphere, separated from the main floor with layered, rose gold-framed screens, washed-timber fixtures and subtle grey hues.
By contrast, eveningwear ramps up the glamour factor with a palette which surrounds the customer with soft gold, bronze and champagne tones. The department includes a dedicated space for evening abayas, as well as VIP fitting room suites.
The same attention to detail is reflected throughout the store’s service environments, from its luxurious VIP lounges and treatment spaces through to each floor’s fitting rooms (each tailor-made to suit its individual department, with spacious interiors, eye-catching feature materials and subtly-integrated technology), to the carefully-selected furniture pieces which dot the space.
The second floor accommodates kid’s wear and John Lewis’ home collections. The kid’s wear department is awash with vibrant colours; inspired by the idea of a village, interactive play zones and playful house-style frames set up a vividly graphic aesthetic.
On the Creek frontage, meanwhile, the building’s natural light and views are maximised through the incorporation of destination restaurants which allow waterside dining on multiple levels. Running through the central atrium, a series of vertical garden columns which span the store’s three levels, bring HMKM’s future landscape concept full circle.
ROBINSONS
The Robinsons story began on 25th February 1858, when John Spicer and Philip Robinson founded Spicer and Robinson in Singapore. Since then, Robinsons pioneering spirit has kept them at the forefront of Asian retail and since 2008, Al-Futtaim Retail Group has been operating Robinsons Department store in Singapore leading it to be the best performing one in South-East Asia.
by AN shopfitting magazine no.145 ©
Photos courtesy Ken Schluchtmann
