HIMACS and John Pawson bring back light to a beauty store in Germany

HIMACS furniture highlights the display of the newly designed Beauty Department at the Oberpollinger in Munich.

The Oberpollinger is one of Germany’s most popular department stores and an iconic symbol in Munich. The KaDeWe Group store in Munich was designed by the architect Max Littmann who also designed Munich’s Hofbräuhaus and the state theatre in Stuttgart. It first opened its doors in Neuhauser Strasse in 1905. Renovation work on this landmark building started in 2016, transforming the traditionally built building into a modern, open-plan department store by combining its historical characteristics with the today’s urban lifestyle. Renowned British architect John Pawson was behind the masterplan for the latest reconstruction.

Clear and consistent design

Under his supervision, each floor is being redesigned in cooperation with a different interior designer. Following the recent opening of the Living Department on the fourth floor and the Concept Store “The Storey” in the basement, the revamped ground floor will open in October 2018.

The open-plan design offers a direct view of the new Beauty Department as well as the exclusive Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Bucherer boutiques as soon as visitors enter the building.

John Pawson is known for stores he has designed for Calvin Klein and Christopher Kane as well as the Design Museum in London. His work is associated with geometrical shapes, a minimalist approach and the use of timeless, high-quality materials.

The HIMACS display furniture gives a clear structure to the generous open plan layout. The designers placed two semi-circular service counters in the centre of the Beauty Department, which are made of the specially thermoformed solid surface material. The white elements bring a clean, bright look, while blending perfectly with some carefully chosen brass and pastel shades.

The cubic display units have recessed plinths, which give them the appearance of floating above the floor, and are characterised by a skilful combination of open and closed areas. The units were made of the new HIMACS shade Ispani (Marmo). This material has a light, subtle marble look which perfectly matches the floor tiles.

Fast construction time and perfect details

The Oberpollinger project is the first one in Europe to feature the new HIMACS colour Ispani (Marmo). The production of the furniture posed a great challenge for fabricator Moser GmbH.  “The Black Forest based company had just two months to complete, produce and deliver the construction plans for the customer.” Heiko Suhm, project manager of Solid Surface Materials at Moser explains: “The logistics of the numerous components, the extensive material requirements and the short construction period were challenging for us. Another challenge was to produce the furniture to optimised specifications to ensure that its weight does not damage the floor.” Moser’s 25 years of experience in processing solid surface material and its 120 employees enabled the company to successfully complete the project. The solid surface material units are easy to clean and impress with their ingenious details: The edges were mitred, with all sliding elements equipped with an elegant handle strip. LED lighting was recessed into the easy-to process HIMACS material used for the furniture. Finally, perfect hygiene is guaranteed by the non-porous, completely smooth and seamless surface of the natural acrylic stone.

Following the opening of the Oberpollinger in 1905, the “Münchner Neueste Nachrichten” newspaper wrote: “The breath of the whole wide world blows through this luxurious department store.” This is even more true today with the latest renovations of the department store. This statement is reinforced by using top quality materials like HIMACS, which complete the project.