Following the opening of standalone stores in Milan and Lisbon two-and-a-half years ago, its very first retail ventures abroad, Barcelona-based fashion brand Nude Project has inaugurated a retail space in Amsterdam‘s historic Canal District. The brand has secured a 250 sqm. (2,691 sq.ft.) space, spread across two floors of a former bank building erected in 1910 and two adjacent historic buildings. For the interior design, Nude Project tapped architecture and Spanish interior design practice and longtime collaborator El Departamento to create the interior design. Similar to the aforementioned stores, a design theme was picked, and for this location, it was legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick‘s cinematic legacy. As such, the store aims to reflect both the brand’s cultural ethos and offers commentary on the Dutch capital’s complex identity, which encompasses stern Calvinism, Golden Age debauchery, a pragmatic approach to law and morality, and walking the thin line between individual freedom and social control.
The in-depth analysis has been paired with the symbolism of Kubrick’s amazing movies which are infused with explorations of power, human psychology, and moral boundaries, and the store sees a series of settings which take cues from iconic classics like The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Eyes Wide Shut, and Lolita. The store façade is marked by window frames and an entrance in deep brown, Nude Project‘s signature colour. Upon entering the premises, shoppers find themselves in a double-height vestibule featuring an angel statuette. At the back, a staircase leads to the upper floor, accompanied by a sound installation created by Madrid-based artist Lucas Muñoz. The ground floor’s 2001: A Space Odyssey room sees a retro-futuristic backdrop with stainless-steel flooring and backlit perforated wood panels, and presents the brand’s premium collections.
The opposite The Shining room flaunts a style reminiscent of the film’s hotel, featuring wood, steel, and Persian carpets, is home to accessories. Upstairs, shoppers find the Eyes Wide Shut gallery space, which features glossy walls with arched, backlit niches and stainless-steel profiles, creating a dreamlike atmosphere in dialogue with the film’s ceremonial spirit. A vaulted ceiling serves as the canvas for an expansive fresco painted onsite by Pedro Hoz, an artist based in Málaga. Also to be found here, is the intimate Lolita room. Entered through an arched, deep red ceramic-lined passageway, this space blends dark wood, velvet, leather, and warm green and red tones. A cozy circular alcove with sweeping views of Keizersgracht is furnished with a curved sofa which invites shoppers to sit back in between shopping sprees. © superfuture
Nude Project
Leidsestraat 31 (Centrum)
1017NT Amsterdam
Mon 11am-10pm
Tue-Wed 10am-6pm
Thu 10am-8pm
Fri-Sat 10am-7pm
Sun 11am-10pm
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.
