Cubitts, Kings Cross
Cubitts have done a superb job to challenge our notion of the traditional optician retail experience. Walk into any of their stores over London, Brighton or Cambridge and you’ll find unique and stylish interior design concepts normally associated with high end fashion retail. Settle into their uber cool retail environment to get your eyes tested and choose from a wide range of fashion forward prescription frames.
Their King’s Cross store has an effortlessly laid-back industrial interior design scheme. Loomlight was privileged to be the lighting supplier for the feature lighting seen throughout the store.
The simple shell of white walls and poured concrete grey floor, provides the perfect back drop for an industrial design scheme. A combination of reclaimed vintage wooden furniture alongside vintage industrial metal lighting fixtures was used to create a simple, characterful, and visually impactful environment.
The interior designers at Cubitts King’s Cross store strike the perfect balance; not over complicating the space. With the wide range of spectacle frames on the wall, less is more in this space. Choosing key vintage wooden pieces alongside industrial metal light fixtures creates a characterful and uncomplicated environment where the product takes centre stage.
The lighting design takes a similar approach. A modern LED track lighting system in white acts as the main task lighting, illuminating the product on the wall. It is discrete and camouflages into the white walls and ceilings allowing the vintage industrial aluminium ceiling strip lighting to become the feature of the main ceiling space. These vintage ceiling strip lights by Aqua Signal are authentic reclaimed German fixtures which have been salvaged from cargo ships. Loomlight extensively modernized these fixtures; rewiring and adding LED tubes to them whilst still retaining all the vintage industrial character. At 4ft long, although large light fixtures, they don’t over crowd the ceiling space. Most of the fixture is glass, explosion proof glass to be precise, which encases and protects the LED tubes. This helps give the fixture a feeling of lightness, so as not to dominate the space.
In the windows Cubitts chose to use Loomlight’s ceiling mounted explosion proof cage pendants in aluminium and brass. These light fixtures are smaller ceiling pendants, also authentic metal industrial fixtures which feature a protective cage. The metal cage is a common feature of an industrial light fixture used to protect the light bulb and lamp holder.
To balance the industrial metal fixtures the interior designers have added some warmth into the space through the use of beautiful rich textured wooden vintage pieces such as an architects drawer set, vintage wooden drawing board and easel. Each piece well used and the vintage character beautifully intact. A tan leather sofa adds another texture to soften the environment whilst also inviting customers to relax whilst they wait.
Cubitts have created an environment which oozes vintage industrial laid back appeal. An interior that does not try too hard but invites you in to join them in the cool club.
Photo credit - Ed Reeve, Edit Photo