With the same postcode but a new address, Sydney fashion staple The Standard Store have enlisted the help of Pattern Studio to design their new “forever store” on Surry Hills bustling Crown Street. Rich in architectural idiosyncrasies, the interior acts as an appropriately chic setting for the even chicer clothes.

With some retail fit-outs being discarded faster than a fashion season, the concept unusually revolved around permanence and longevity. Pattern looked to improve the architectural qualities of the space and build on its existing character with bespoke built elements and design classics intermingling.

Some structural modifications were made including the addition of an oversized glazed pivot door that drenches the interior in natural light. The new glass and steel opening creates views through to a lush rear courtyard which was formerly hidden out of sight behind a solid wall. The courtyard floor was refinished in natural stone baton tiles – extending into the store they blur the boundaries between inside and out.

Internally, the baton tile steps lead into the deep blue carpet of the dressing room – a Faye Toogood Lounge chair, with its signature slouchy upholstery in navy, sits in the space acting as a very generous “boyfriend chair”. Refreshed walls in white create a sense of openness, paired with sanded and lime-washed particle board floors, the near-white finish highlights the building’s raw sandstone and heritage masonry textures.

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A brilliant blue point-of-sale counter steals the show encased in cerulean solid glass bricks hand-cast in Italy. With Henry Wilson’s onyx Pillar Lamp sitting atop, the counter is wrapped in an ink-blue aniline leather hide acting as a soft and tactile contrast to the cool, hard glass.

Pattern incorporated the Swiss design system USM to provide modular display and storage solutions. Acting as a slick offset to the interiors rougher, more tactile textures, the chrome ball-and-tube frame with white steel shelving is rigorous and unfussy. Highly versatile, the system can last a lifetime and be modified as needed in years to come.

In a design that will endure, Pattern has crafted an environment that reflects The Standard Store’s own values of good design and slow fashion while respecting the cultural heritage of the building.

[Images courtesy of Pattern Studio. Photography by Traianos Pakioufakis.]