An idyllic hippy hangout way back in the 1970s, Byron Bay has seen a rapid transformation, especially in the past decade, becoming the preferred getaway for more mundane dwellers with not only deep pockets, but also a fashion sense. Australian fashion brand Venroy has anticipated the shift in demographics by opening its latest boutique here, and similar to its other retail spaces, it’s a design-led effort. The store occupies a ground floor unit at Jonson Lane, a newly opened open-air shopping and hospitality district, and is designed by creative director Sean Venturi in collaboration with long-time in-house architect Sarah I’Anson. Interestingly, the chosen aesthetic takes cues from the architectural and philosophical pillars of a traditional Italian piazza, or square, have been adapted into a contemporary retail setting, but one that oozes Byron Bay‘s easybreezy lifestyle.
Travertine, a material already used by the ancient Romans, is a dominating element, capturing the floor, seven columns, and a robust sales counter in the middle of the premises. As if to anchor the design even more firmly in present times, the setting is interspersed with custom-made metal hang rails, display shelves and a point-of-sale counter. The overall austerity of the interior design is softened by a tightly curated selection of homey furniture pieces and objects sourced from across the planet that also accentuate Venroy‘s Italian heritage. The pieces include a Murano glass wall sconce, a 1960’s crystal wall mirror, a white Nesso 1960s-inspired lamp, and a Mantila sofa set. The new Venroy store carries the brand’s full range of men’s and women’s apparel, swimwear and accessories.
Venroy
139 Jonson Lane
Byron Bay, NSW 2481
Mon-Fri 10am-6pm
Sat 9.30am-6pm
Sun 10am-5pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
