Green Boutique in Barcelona

Launched in 2018 as a digital native reality, Project Lobster has entered the eyewear scene with an original and contemporary approach. In recent years, the brand has undertaken a strategic evolution, consolidating the e-commerce channel and opening a network of physical boutiques, created in partnership with the architectural studio El Departamento, which has designed spaces capable of embodying the essence of the brand. This concept is well represented by the most recent store, located in the sophisticated El Born district of Barcelona, a few steps from the imposing Cathedral of Santa Maria del Mar.

The team, led by Alberto Eltini and Marina Martín, has redefined the entire visual and value universe of the brand, starting first of all from the simplification of the name, PJ.Lobster, visible on the facade of the new boutique designed to fully respond to the technical needs of commercial environments in the optical segment but with a captivating and immersive look.

FROM MACRO TO MICRO

The design concept of the store presents the natural evolution of the previous spaces created by El Departamento for the brand, in which colors, organic shapes, and different textures were the leit motif of each design. The new store instead explores the different scales of matter, giving life to "clinical" and sophisticated spaces that transmit to the visitor the precision and attention that the brand intends to express.

Following the principle "from macro to micro", Eltini and Martín have designed an environment full of personality in just 40 square meters. The inspiration comes from the documentary "Powers of Ten" by Charles and Ray Eames, based on the book "Cosmic View" by Kees Boeke. It is precisely this approach, which plays with dimensions, materials, and perspectives, that shapes the design of the first boutique of the new course of PJ.Lobster.

TEXTURED MINIMALISM VS. RAW HIGH-TECH

In the analysis of textures, El Departamento has elaborated two conceptual paths: "Textured Minimalism" and "Raw High-Tech". These guidelines, apparently opposite, have defined a dynamic environment that oscillates between softness and hardness, velvety and rough surfaces. A boutique with an essential, pure, and raw space, enriched however by a wide variety of textures that decorate walls, floors, and ceilings.

The exhibitors emphasize the high-tech character of the brand, with a bold and minimalist design. At the center of the space stands a large piece of furniture, with rounded shapes that integrate with the exhibition area. At the back of the store are located a waiting area and an area closed by a curved green vegan leather curtain that guarantees privacy to the room intended for optical examinations.

CONTRASTING MATERIALITY

Following the design philosophy at the base of the intervention, the space therefore appears significantly characterized by material contrasts: an irregular plaster is softened by the dusty-toned green tint that envelops the environment in its entirety creating a calm and welcoming atmosphere. Stainless steel for the exhibitors, microcement, and carpet for the floor combine with pre-existing moldings, all united by a monochromatic tone that accompanies customers in an engaging perceptual dimension.

AN EXERCISE IN ZONING

The project is based on a meticulous zoning of the space. Each area has been studied to offer a personalized experience: from the exhibition of products to the most intimate corners for visual examinations from which it is possible to have a privileged view of the adjacent cathedral.

The intervention of El Departamento has thus conferred different atmospheres to a compact environment, at the same time comfortable and cutting-edge. The high-tech nature of the brand is reflected in the custom-made furniture, in the technical details dedicated to eye care, and in the customized lighting project with special Marset lamps. The result is a paradigmatic and bold boutique that skillfully marks the restyling and the future of PJ.Lobster.