Made.com Soho | bureau de change architects

The brief for the new MADE store was to re-evaluate the concept of a ‘showroom’ and incorporate technology in a way that would genuinely add value to the customer experience. 

Located in one of Europe’s busiest shopping districts, the new store experience begins with the external windows. Rather than display product behind the glass, the glazing itself becomes a full-scale representation of the product in an intricate permanent installation. 

Inside, the store blends physical product with full-scale projections in a series of room sets. Customers are guided through a network of whitewashed walls - curved like the pages of a book (referencing the literary history of Charing Cross Road). These walls provide a clean backdrop for the furniture and a canvas upon which products can be projected. The use of large format projections mean a single room can show multiple combinations of product changeable on demand.

This opens up the possibility for customers to experience the full product catalogue without requiring a hangar-like showroom or costly central storage facilities.

Customers are provided with tablets on which they can browse and find further product information about their favourite pieces. 

Alongside the digital experience, a large physical furniture sample archive provides an opportunity to touch and feel fabrics and explore colour swatches to help decision-making.