Christopher Wright, design principal at figure3 and partner in charge of the Umbra account.
This 6,400 sq ft flagship retail store for hip housewares company Umbra revitalizes an aging building into a striking on-brand shopping experience in Toronto’s trendy Queen Street West neighbourhood. Umbra reunited figure3 and architecture firm KSA to expand on the award-winning direction the same team took for Umbra’s chic World Headquarters.
True to Umbra’s design-driven philosophy, the store focuses on product displays through an interactive design centre, inviting customers to watch and interact with designers in the midst of developing product designs.
The gallery-like boutique on two levels curates iconic housewares and products on modular fixture displays. In a clever twist, over-scaled chandeliers are re-inventions of Umbra table-lamps. For shoppers, it’s about great design at affordable prices, in one inspirational destination store offering a unique customer experience. For Umbra, it’s the next chapter of a remarkable Canadian success story.