"El Departamento" has designed the new Pompeii Store in Valencia as a neo-wash tunnel
Design and architecture studio “El Departamento” led by Alberto Eltini (Architect) and Marina Martín (Creative Director) are responsibles for the design of the new Pompeii Store in Valencia. The proposal aims to break with the classical retail establishment by creating a whole new world.
The new Pompeii Store is like a neo-wash tunnel applied to a retail space. It is composed of 3 clearly distinct areas, and even if the continuity pattern is obvious thanks to the infinity mirror ceiling, the sand color carpet and a dramatic lighting, each one of the three areas is a dream inside a dream. Everything happens in a dozing space of compact dimensions where each area has been utilised to the full.
The first area is the washing area. Floor-to-ceiling pyramidal shelves lay out all the sneakers. A full-length mirror has been placed in one of the sides to widen the space. An uneven bench finished in Guatemala green dominates the entire space and gives the customer a sneak peek of what is to come.
The second area is the spining area. Here is where the epicentre of the retail space is: the Pompeii Bar. A rounded bar built with brushed stainless steel tubes that hang from the ceiling and emerge from the floor. Here cocktails are Pompeii sneakers. It is a true gem. The bar is surrounded by Guatemala-green topographic steps that are finished by a wave-like wall.
The drying. This third area is taken over by velvet. This is the calmest area of the store - textures are soft and benches here top off the asymmetric symmetry that support the entire project. Natural stone is still present, but here is sidelined in favour of three extremely high curtains that conceal the fitting rooms and the back of house.
The project draws from its context thanks to greenish and earthy tones that remind of Valencian landscape, and focuses on the blue velvet that recalls the Mediterranean sea.
Material Used :
1. Nivel Diez – Woodwork - Shelving
2. Sudesa – Wood - Shelving
3. Ilumisa - Lighting
4. Tarkett - Carpet
5. Tortosa Martinez Cristaleria – Acrylicceiling
6. Ramiro Hermanos – Pompeii Bar
7. Marmara – Natural Stone – Green Guatemala
8. Tapizados García – Upholsteryfabric
9. Woodyloop – Neon lighting
10. Atipic – Facade signing
