The large “ribbon” staircase, which embraces the central core of the store and smoothly connects the three floors, is the heart of the new concept of the LIU • JO flagship store in Milan, located in the central Via Vittorio Emanuele.
The theme of the connection between the different areas, in particular between the vertical planes, is emphasized also by the large champagne cage which, acting as a display and filter element, elegantly wraps the ground floor and the first floor, almost completely dematerializing the division between these last two and fully enhancing the important heights. The cage bars become an exhibition and architectural element of the store. In the display windows, a series of low voltage Ø43mm Yori 48V projectors illuminate the mannequins in detail and, thanks to the magnetic fixing, they can be moved at any time even while they are turned on.
The area in the back is dedicated to the denim, where the large, off-scale wooden table and the niche cages suggest an industrial mood but at the same time extremely feminine and refined, thanks to the details and the champagne finishes. We have developed different levels of lighting between these two areas, the central corridor and the niches where the clothes are displayed, using Ø95mm Yori Evo Box track projectors with Performance optics. To give more emphasis to the products on display and make them really stand out from the context, the wide beam (20 °) projectors guarantee an illumination of 2000lux, which is reduced to 1000lux in the corridor, where the projector with a narrow beam (10 °) is used.
The use of design elements and furniture with a clear architectural style, such as the consoles, help to suggest a domestic sense, reinforced also by the large relax areas on the ground floor and on the first floor. This one houses the accessories area, almost entirely wrapped in the champagne cage, in which the product itself, arranged in a semicircle, seems to embrace the customer. The Ø60mm Yori Semi – Recessed projectors in embossed white finish with Performance optics are also arranged in a semicircle and their CRI <90 ensure excellent color rendering of all the accessory details.
The whole mood, the choice of colors and materials, is based on subtle contrasts: smooth and soft walls, such as the glass surfaces or the plaster pulled with lime, interact with material and plastic walls, which, together with the grit and the wood-effect floor, represent a clear reference to tradition, but combined with more current materials and elements, such as the solid surface of the tape-ladder or the neon lettering. In this way, unusual combinations are created, generating a sense of freshness and contemporary romanticism.