Rugged yet feminine. Minimalist yet welcoming: how does that work? It works, and wonderfully so: take, for example, the Splendid by Schmierer store in Schärding, Austria, which has been given a fresh new look with designs by Knoblauch.
In the picturesque Baroque town on the River Inn, the long-established Schmierer fashion house and art space has changed hands. The founding family has stepped down and handed the business over to Splendid by Mairinger. For the new owner, Marion Mairinger, Schärding is more than just a location: “This small district town is a very vibrant, innovative and modern little town on the border with Bavaria.”
The new name ‘Splendid by…’ is making its debut in Schärding town centre. Incidentally, ‘Splendid’ is derived from the Latin verb ‘splendere’, which means ‘to shine’ or ‘to radiate’.
New name, new shop look: this is where we come in. The characterful shop front, with its bay windows and stucco work, has a long history, which we have incorporated into the design language of the new store.
“With the new Splendid by Schmierer store in Schärding, we aim to expand our multi-label stores with another location and thereby become an even more expert provider in the high-end multi-label sector,” emphasises Mairinger.
The building once housed a white tanner’s workshop, long before clothes were sold here. There, animal hides were processed into particularly light and supple leather using alum and table salt.
Katharina has incorporated this artisanal tradition and the interplay of water, mineral salts and leather into her design. Our client wanted the shop to have a softer, more feminine feel. A lighter overall look was the logical consequence – and at the same time a nod to the building’s history, when white tanners worked here amongst vats and drying racks.
“We used lime-washed plaster and untreated oak, for example, to give the walls a rough, textured look,” says Katharina, the interior designer.
Smooth surfaces, in turn, serve as a metaphor for the wet processes that were an important part of the white tanning craft: the animal hides first had to be soaked in water for days on end before they could be processed further. Here, we have experimented with plain-coloured natural stones that feel and look cool, yet form a harmonious blend when combined with wood and lime plaster.
With leather accents – for example on handles – we have once again drawn a link to the tannery whilst simultaneously establishing a connection to the high-end brands. Black display units add accents and create depth and vibrancy in the bright store, which also houses a 35-square-metre Marc O’Polo shop-in-shop.
The centrepiece of the Splendid store is the spacious counter, which combines a bar and checkout area across 30 square metres. The focus here is particularly on hospitality: an espresso after shopping is a natural part of the shopping experience and creates space for socialising. And, true to the name, customers are welcome to shine a little here.
“Working with KNOBLAUCH was simply brilliant. I was very impressed by how thoroughly Katharina and Christian had researched the history of the house and used it to develop a design concept. The speed with which everything was carried out – from the first meeting through the development of the interior design concept right through to its implementation – was second to none.”
– Marion Mairinger, owner of Splendid by Schmierer
