The “Bottles’ Congress” project came as an answer to the very particular challenges presented by a wine and spirits store in unique circumstances.
Located in the outskirts of the city of Braga, in northern Portugal, next to Minho’s University, the client required a system to display over a thousand different wine and spirits bottles, designed in a modular fashion and capable of being adapted to different locations.
At the same time, the location the client brought to the table had interesting characteristics that asked for a specific, non-generic intervention: a beautiful natural setting by the Este river, facing the sunset, already a leisure site favored by the city and the University’s students in particular; and a store with two glass fronts that presented an unusual opportunity to play with the inside/outside relationship.
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The modular design brought order to the products’ display: “
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The best balance between modularity and individuality was found by designing four different types of display boxes, with each design coming as a precise consequence of the particular shapes, presentation characteristics and resting needs of each specific kind of bottle.
Each module consists of four pinewood display boxes, with a storage area underneath. A palette of dark rich tones was elected throughout the store to convey a sense of luxury and coziness, contrasting with pinewood features.
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The store is located on a quiet residential area, featuring two glass fronts, one facing an urban context and the other facing a soothing park, crossed by the Este river and served by open-air sporting facilities.
In order to maximize the store’s transparency the bathrooms were relocated, resulting in an unobstructed space with open views from the street to the park.
This allowed for a breathtaking presence of the store on the street, invitingly bringing its content outside, while simultaneously transporting to the inside that beautifully qualified natural landscape.
This isn’t just a place to visit: it’s a place to stay.
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