The Thousands

It seems the new way to make a splash when fitting out a store in Melbourne is making it temporary. First we heard of the three-month ‘residency bar’ that is The Pond and now the fine folks at Aesop have opened a new signature store which similarly seems to be in a state of impermanence.

Located just two doors up from the new Polyester Records on Flinders Lane, the store is entirely made of cardboard, from the display shelving to the massive eastern façade to the countertops. Aside from the massive stacks of industrial cardboard, all that sits in the store are rows and rows of glorious Aesop products in their superhot minimal packaging. The effect is pretty spectacular.

The temporary fit out was put together in five days and designed by bombshell interior architects Rodney Eggleston and Anne-Laure Cavigneaux of March Studio, with the permanent design to be created in February. It still seems a little hard to believe that what is now clearly Melbourne’s most strikingly designed space is only going to be around for a few months. Check it out before it’s bumped out.