Situated within the ground floor of a 10-storey 1960s building, situated on Urgell Street in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Mit Mat Mama’s store comprises a 42m² ground floor space alongside a 11m² loft space. The previous space proved difficult to the expectant customers visiting the store and the brand wanted to improve the overall experience for its customers, enhancing the various lines of its collections sequentially to make all the options displayed within the store visible. The concept was to ‘connect the expectant natural moment of women with architecture’, and Roman’s brief was not only to design a store, but to also create a new shopping experience in a charming, natural and light atmosphere, generating a fluent interaction between people and space.

The existing store

With the existing store being closed off to the street, another premise of the brief was to extend the store onto the street, inviting the public into the store. The existing windows showcased colourless background boards and dummies along the facades that acted as a barrier, separating the outside from the inside. The brief required the new shop window be the shop itself and provide a welcoming, open atmosphere within the store.

The fitting rooms originally faced the facade and posters had been applied to the facade in order to provide privacy for the store’s customers. The clothes were displayed by conventional clothing racks and the illumination system consisted of three antiquated pendant lamps. The interior was almost claustrophobic, with some of the clothing displayed in a two metre high space underneath the loft. The brand was looking for something new, striking and modern that would provide a connection with its maternal customers.

The first decision of the project was adapt the ground floor to create an open-plan space with four metre high ceilings and a completely glazed facade. Services such as the fitting rooms, the cash desk and toilets were all joined together in a longitudinal line underneath the storage loft. A spiral staircase has been installed that allows access to the storage loft from the cash desk.

On the upper floor, an invisible sliding door passes behind a large timber board, this emphasises the paleness of the staircase. The invisibility of the sliding door gives the visual appearance that the spiral staircase is a sculptural element that does not lead anywhere.

Storage solutions

Several American ash timber ladders are the current focal point of Mit Mat Mama’s new store design. These ladders are prefabricated and had to be located to follow a perfect line, reflecting in the mirror at the end of the store’s path – this required a precise procedure. First, the ladder nearest to the mirror was located in a parallel relation. Thereafter, the ladder furthest away from the mirror was installed within the coordinates projected in the design. Three ropes tied to both ladders, in three various heights, were the references that allowed to make the installation as accurate as possible. Lastly, the remaining ladders were totally aligned achieving the intended visual effect of the project.

Timber has huge environmental benefits; is a natural, renewable, durable, biodegradable and a highly energy-efficient material. The use of American ash was selected for this particular project due to its high resistance, bright colour and environmental production properties.

A prefabricated modular shelving system solved the required functions of the project, meeting the conditions of a low budget and a restricted construction timeline. Clothing is now displayed on rails and shelves fixed between rows of the ash timber ladders – spaced approximately one metre apart. The ladders have a different function depending on the height that they are placed. Benches are placed across the first rung and a desk for the till sits across the second rung. At the third rung, the steel bars are used as clothing hangers. While at the fourth rung support the fitting room curtains. At higher-levels, the steel bars hold the plant pots and the lighting system in place. The flexibility of this system allows the store owners to modify the location of the steel bars and wood boards without altering the initial concept of the store.

Connecting to nature

The use of plants within this retail scheme provides a natural character to the space and promotes the instinctive comfortable reaction of Mit Mat Mama’s customers. At the same time, the plants’ growth offers a temporal dimension to the store that relates to the constant changing reality of the unique customers; the interiors of the store change according to the seasons of the year, while the pregnancy status grows with the pass of the time. Plants also improve the air quality within the store by levelling humidity and absorbing dust. In addition to this, during the day the fast-growing, hanging plants filter sunlight and during the night they capture light from the artificial lighting system.

The lemon tree, situated within the window of the store, was chosen for both conceptual and functional reasons. It is a tree that easily survives in indoor spaces and rarely grows more than four metres – which is the total store height. It is located in a place that receives direct natural light in order to satisfy its necessities. The lemon tree produces its fruits almost the whole year and the flavour emanating from its leaves gives a sensory experience to the customers. The ivy is an indoor plant that can live in places without much natural light. This fast-growing climbing plant aims to naturally expand itself through the ladders. Elsewhere, the schefflera gold is an indoor plant that can achieve heights of one to two metres, according to the vertical direction of the ladders. The flowering time is during Spring and Summer, while they produce fruits during Autumn and Winter. The three chosen plants harmoniously mix the deep green colour palette with a yellow stroke that brightens the eye.

Opening up

The vertical rhythm of the ladders, together with the hanging plants, generate a green path that leads to a great mirror that visually duplicates the store. This light and airy environment intends to provide the fluent shopping experience requested by the brand.

An important consideration for this project was designing the entrance door with the correct dimensions in order to place the lemon tree and two mirrors inside the store without difficulties. These mirrors were assembled accurately with the aim of having the appearance of being one, single mirror. At the same time, the wide entrance door’s dimensions facilitates an easy access for heavily pregnant women.

The colour palette of the store is bright with the aim of highlighting the vivid colours of the textile products. The neutrality of white emphasises the green shades of the plants alongside the American ash of the ladders. It was very important to create an airy, natural and light space to make customers feel that they are in a non-stressful atmosphere.

The fitting rooms have been painted white and feature wooden hangers and a single stool, following the simplicity of the project. The fitting room is the shop itself; the mirror is located outside the fitting room in order to promote sharing ideas.

Incorporating light

The large quantity of light is not only created by the lumens projected, but also by multiplying this light by reflecting it through the white painted floor, wall and mirror. The white colour is the key of the lighting design due to the bright sensation it brings to the space. In addition to this, the transparent facade permits to capture as much natural light as possible, leading to a mix of artificial and natural light in the interior of the store.

The store’s transparency leads to a direct connection to the street. Several wood benches expand the store to the outside, providing a public service to the city and inviting future clients to enter. Seen from the outside, the space is shown as a unique harmonious environment filled with textile products, plants and light.

The railings that support the light focus are placed in various heights in order to satisfy the various required functions. The higher railings bring in the light that the interior hanging plants require and provide a global illumination, while the lower railings are focused to illuminate the clothing display. At the same time the lighting system follows the concept of the architecture of the store. The discontinuity of the installation creates a situation where the environment of the store changes with the movement of its customers.

Sales have increased by 20% after the opening of the new store. This project has created a new identity to the brand that is reflected in the concept of its architecture. It is a concept that can be applied in other stores and expresses the beauty of pregnancy.