Speaking about the importance of retail design, founder and CEO of 1zu33 achitectural studio said it should be a “holistic and involving” experience.

Speaking as part of a discussion panel, previewing Gaggenau’s The Elevation of Gravity installation, Hendrick Müller stated: “Today I think retail design, speaking from the perspective of an architect and designer, is not so much focusing on presentation of a product.

“It’s more about creating a holistic and involving experience with the brand, that ideally leaves a footprint in your memory.”

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He continued: “When people venture out into the real world, making their choices for furniture and equipment for their homes, of course they want to touch, they want to test and want to get a sense of the products, but also there is a longing that they want to be touched by an atmosphere, by the brand’s identity, by aesthetics and by personal interaction.

As an architect for Gaggenau flagship showrooms, Müller said: “We always try to create a warm embrace for visitors, so they feel comfortable when they enter a space, but also to offer an inspirational but also meaningful palette of materials that stem from the embodiment of the brand’s essence.”

Gaggenau has flagship showrooms around the world, so speaking about how he has translated the retail design across different countries, Müller added: “We want to create a sense of space, in every place that we work.

“Of course, it is important to reflect the brand’s identity, but also to create a handshake between the brand, the context and the local culture, and let the surroundings infuse our design.”

Gaggenau has showrooms around the world, but Müller stated it would be “boring” if they looked the same: “They should feel different. They  should look different and always be an adequate response, in an architectural way, to the context in which they are placed.”

MD of Gaggenau Dr Peter Goetz added: “We are an architectural brand. Good architecture is always related to the context.”

He concluded: “You can’t live without a touch point with consumers, that’s why we roll it [flagship showrooms] out in the cities we believe are relevant.”