Ten years after first opening up shop in London‘s Spitalfields neighbourhood, London Undercover has given its boutique just off bustling Commercial Road a striking makeover. Occupying a 450 sq.ft. (approx. 42 sqm.) unit on the ground floor of a late 19th-century brick building, and in stark contrast with the umbrella brand’s more traditional flagship store in the city’s Bloomsbury area, the renewed premises are clean and understated. Designed by British interior design studio 19 Limited, the setting playfully combines a full-fledged, sleek coffee bar – mind you, London Undercover repurposes used coffee grounds as an ingredient silky umbrella fabric with natural UV protection – with a retail section which takes ample cues from the supermarket format.
The coffee bar’s shiny stainless steel counter, paired with a Staron worktop and matching powder-coated steel menu boards, ties in with the shelving units lining the wall which look like a high-end equivalent of a supermarket’s refrigerated section. Well, not entirely. A classic arcade claw machine adds a playful touch to the setting. Opposite the coffee bar a small seating area with four stools is situated in front of large mirror which optically enlarges the space. Ceramic tile flooring and large ceiling light boxes, framed by a 360 LED display featuring a rotation of texts, add to the setting’s austere aesthetic. The revamped London Undercover store carries a selection of its famed umbrellas and lifestyle items.
London Undercover
20 Hanbury Street (Spitalfields)
London E1 6QR
Telephone +44 20 74824321
Mon-Fri 9.30am-6pm
Sat-Sun 10.30am-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.
