Harman
Address: Kuznetsky most street, 3; Moscow, RussiaSupervisors of the workshop: Dmitry Likin, Oleg Shapiro
Architect: Anastasia Maslova
Photos: Dmitry Chebanenko
After opening shops in New York, Seoul and Shanghai, HARMAN is now offering premium audio and video equipment in their new flagship store on Kuznetsky Most street in Moscow.
To turn the premises of the historical building, previously used as a café, into a venue that would resemble the HARMAN store in New York in its design while imbuing it with its own unique feel. .
We decided to get rid of the café design completely and to decorate the premises neutrally, without changing the historical walls wherever possible. We accentuated the brand’s recognizable features and used HARMAN's own ultramodern equipment.
The historical façade was completely renovated. The big shop windows were equipped with holographic displays and built-in multimedia screens showing continuously moving images. The layered design of the café was completely remodeled: the mezzanine, the partition walls and the floor were taken apart. The walls were restored as much as possible, and the old floors were replaced with oak hardwood flooring.
The design decisions were based on the idea of separating the sales venue and the back rooms. The two open venues are equipped with headphones, multimedia technology, home electronics and luxury multi channel home theatres.
Upon entering the store, customers find themselves in a space dedicated to small-size electronics, which we decided to accentuate with color and lighting. The plaster graphite-colored walls serve as a backdrop for the products. The historical details – the arches and columns – are painted white. The main wall features the company’s logo surrounded by decorative “sound waves”. In the center there are built-in dynamic speakers and headphones displayed in light boxes. The white lacquered panels on the other wall are made of medium density fiberboard and are similar to the ones in the New York shop.
The products are displayed on racks along the walls of the venue and on white “islands” – separate irregularly shaped stands, where customers can view multimedia entertainment systems. The furniture was made after our sketches: the snow white lacquered surfaces perfectly match the veneer front panels.
The second venue, dedicated to home electronics and acoustics, is designed differently: here the walls are painted white and the main decor feature are the glossy patterned panels. We wanted to emphasize and demonstrate the possibilities of the HARMAN products, we made a lounge area with chairs and sofas.
The multimedia screen in the center of the wall is not just used for advertising; it also separates the lounge area from the entrance and makes browsing and listening more pleasant. Two glowing rings in the center of the ceiling make it seem lower, making the room more comfortable.
The lighting and projection mapping are especially important in these venues.
All equipment is installed at the top of the ceiling and the lighting and projection mapping are remote-controlled.
When designing the two closed venues dedicated to stereo systems and luxury multi channel home theatres, the main challenge we faced was to provide ideal sound conditions. The bigger room was used for displaying the home theater systems and the smaller one became an acoustic room. The venues do not have high ceilings and their design is similar: they both have perforated acoustic panels, natural veneer sheets and carpets.
