The design of our Islington store, which opened in June, is the result of the latest collaboration between Aesop and Ciguë, and hearkens to modest utilitarian spaces of the early twentieth century. Inspired by the unintentionally appealing aesthetics of a well-ordered 1930s laboratory, Ciguë's primary intention was to adapt traditional materials and methods of fabrication to new purposes – making radical use of the ostensibly simple.
Hence glass is put to unique use in hand-made glass taps and pipes; strong yet malleable metal provides shelving with thin, sharp profiles; and polished marble serves for basins and work surfaces. Other elements are made from reclaimed wood found in a 200-year-old monastery in the French Basque countryside. Restrained and inventive use of each material and logical ordering of space reveal a modest, inherent beauty.
Ciguë is a Parisian sextet of architects who created Aesop's counter in Merci as well as signature stores in Tiquetonne, Le Marais and London's Soho.
Aesop Islington
56 Cross Street
London N1 2BA
'There is nothing so amiable as discernment.' Lord Byron