ARAMstore

Started in 1964 by Zeev Aram in a Kings Road location , the Aram showroom then moved in the '70,s to an ex banana warehouse off Drury Lane in a still run-down Covent Garden. In 2000 the building adjacent, which fronted Drury Lane, became available and the idea for a new ARAMstore was conceived as a 2,000 sqm home to the best collection of modern furniture in London. Inspired by a recent trip to Soho in New York David Walker of Walker and Martin worked closely with Zeev Aram to produce a space which had a warehouse feel, letting the furniture inhabit the spaces and allowing for different display opportunities. The wall between the two buildings was demolished, and the gap between them glazed over to form an atrium. Each building had a different construction, history and character so they were stripped back and revealed. The Atrium became the movement zone with a new staircase acting as a "bridge" between the two buildings, inspired by railway bridges and concrete ramps with circular glass discs normally used in external pavements reinforcing this idea. The overhead metal trunking carries power, data and allows a flexible use of the whole space as well as being a visual element which ties the two buildings together. The showroom is 4 floors of retail, with the top floor used as the Aram office, while the next floor down is dedicated for non-commercial purposes and houses the ARAM galllery which shows work from a variety of design disciplines that is experimental and challenging.