Architecture of Seduction: Create Unforgettable Retail and Hospitality Design Experiences

Jean Philippe Patisserie at Aria, Las Vegas

Today’s guests expect more and look for both the WOW and compelling unique experiences. As retail and hospitality designers we create architecture of seduction, relaxation and desire, with a mixture of coquettish mystery, sanctuary and unabashed appeal. Our goal is to create feelings of both distinction and delight, heightening the pleasures of socializing, touch and feel. We compose environments that not only satisfy the functional requirements of spaces, but also ignite the imagination and subtly seduce the mind of our guest.

The experience starts before the entrance, by stimulating curiosity, enticing customers to enter/explore. How do you create a “come-hither” exterior? Can you create a romantic daydream, a sophisticated elegant, curiously beautiful or a whimsical experience? The goal is to create experiences that affirm strong memories of both space and brand. At its best, shopping experiences are like being in a gallery. The best retail spaces stand out from the normality of other shops, by letting products play important roles and by indirectly choreographing the guest’s movement through space.

How do you create an unforgettable experience?

1. Innovate the experience. Ex.: Apple turned a commodity product into a powerhouse social experience.

2. Create an enticing story line and experience beyond: Appeal to all senses: touch, sight, smell and sound.

3. Let technology be integrated without being intruding.

4. Uniqueness: let the brand heritage and culture radiate from the design.

Create a welcoming and inviting entrance. Once inside, create a personal connection with the shopper or guest through engaging interaction. This is where the brick-and-mortar shopping differentiate from online shopping. Touching, feeling, comparing the physical presence and receiving product guidance through engaging interpersonal interaction with highly trained staff, who know how to exceed expectations and when to step back to let the shopper follow their intuitive exploration through space.

Musee du Parfum, Paris by cba design

An architecture of seduction creates an invitation to being pampered, entertained or visually stimulated. We want to make you forget the reality of your daily routine, by triggering a wide range of emotions. The first impression may be highly theatrical, invoking a sense of drama. Products are theatrically displayed to grab your attention as focal points, inviting you to explore the space step by step.

Add a dose of feminine seduction, both shy and unabashed, an escapist reality of exclusivity, tactile products and sensuous aromas, by presenting opportunities to view and interact.

House of Dior by Vogue

The retail space may be designed as a sanctuary, which while selling products of necessity or desire instill memories of an experience. It appeals to authentic and basic desires by presenting opportunities to touch, try and feel.

The experience can be choreographed by inviting the guest to walk in diagonal movements, orchestrated views and panoramas. Create a sensation of comfort, distinction and delight, where products are theatrically displayed, triggering emotional and visual touch points.

Cafe Ammo by Joyce Wang, Hong Kong

When designing restaurants, the design can distill a romantic daydream, cozy, elegant, chic and or whimsy, to create a genuine authentic experience. It may be a café where guests will pick up a desert, coffee drink, ice cream or a sit-down full-service restaurant. Create enticing and seductive views of pastry and colorful decadent ice cream, while orchestrating movement and poetic areas for socializing or being a spectator of life unfolding.

The goal is to create an ambiance that affirms fond memories of the brand and space, even if you only have a few minutes to be seduced by the offerings. Create spaces you want to return, again and again. Make the last impression be just as memorable as the very first visual impression.

Baccarat Hotel, New York

Positive and engaging interaction can create loyalty that can last a lifetime. Invite your guests to buy into the brand akin to being members of a very special club. Remember, design can passionate!

”Create spaces you want to return to, again and again. Make the last impression be just as memorable as the very first visual impression.“