If your store isn’t prefixed with the abstract noun concept, then your store isn’t worth knowing. Milan’s 10 Corso Como and Colette, Paris, pioneered the concept store — Urban Outfitters took it to the high street … but in its purest form, a concept store is where niche is eschewed in favour of a an overarching narrative. A lifestyle to buy into; whether fashion, design, art or interiors, the concept outweighs all.
On the liveliest street in Barcelona’s Gracia neighbourhood, Picnic throws away the notion of subscribing solely to being a fashion boutique, or solely an accessories store. The concept is embraced.
Whether concept is an overused buzzword in retail, or not, is a matter for another day — here designers Enric Rodríguez and Berta Fernández have crafted a tiny space with aesthetic aplomb. Concrete, natural wood, tiling and lighting come together in snug harmony; where such spots can lean too much towards the clinical, sparing use of colour, and well-suited materials, guard Picnic from following suit.
Photography, Eloi Aisa
