Dalziel & Pow crafts Asteri’s new stores as ode to Saudi women

Asteri, the pioneering female-founded Saudi Arabian beauty brand named after Asteria, the Greek goddess of falling stars, has added two new stars to its constellation with the opening of new concept stores in Festival City Mall in Doha and Panorama Mall in Riyadh.

The brand spaces, both designed by global strategy and design studio Dalziel & Pow (D&P), represent the region they are located in, celebrating local heritage and the beauty and diversity of Arab women. 

“Both new stores are part of Asteri’s evolving constellation of retail spaces, joining brand homes in Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, Khobar, Abha, Madinah, Kuwait and Bahrain - all designed by Dalziel & Pow,” informs the design studio.

“All the brand homes are retail expressions of Dalziel & Pow’s guiding vision for the brand “Sisters Under the Stars”, with more future store openings planned for across the UAE and beyond,” the studio adds.

The idea was to reflect Asteri Beauty’s focus on investing in “brand spaces designed for the sisterhood - reflecting the changing role of physical retail as a place to connect with a discerning, playful and aesthetically astute audience.”

The stores are thus designed as places to meet like-minded people, enjoy social shopping without pressure, and celebrate local heritage and stories, while representing modern Arab women. 

In Doha, Asteri’s new Qatar store is an immersive retail space that draws inspiration from the opulence of Doha’s architecture and landscape, as well as the clashing metallics of Asteri’s iconic Desert Diamond highlighter. 

“The new store features a bold material palette of gold finishes, anodised textures, and muted organic forms, creating a striking contrast that celebrates local cultural richness. Centred around a gold-tiled table and a striking gold chain curtain, the design makes a bold, luxurious statement inspired by the city’s grandeur,” shares D&P.

The Panorama Mall Riyadh store represents a homecoming for Asteri and its founder Sara Al-Rashed, as Asteri’s inaugural store opened in Al Nakheel Mall, Riyadh, in late 2023.

The design for this new store was inspired by the spectacular sight of Riyadh at night from the air; a bright landscape of illuminating city lights in distinct gridded patterns, as D&P explains. This is captured throughout the retail concept with linear feature lighting and mirrors.

Capturing the “maximalist personality of the brand” is the bold statement in the store featuring a bold pink product table and the lounge, lending the magnetic pull factor. “In contrast, organic material textures and earthy colour tones evoke the serene ambience of a beautiful desert oasis; together creating a beautiful harmony of nature and vibrant urbanity, as the city meets the desert,” adds D&P.  

Moments of self-expression and a shared sisterhood experience are encouraged with ‘Insta moments’ baked into the retail design, with a corner of the store revealing a multifaceted starscape mirror, perfect for selfies, informs D&).

Sarah Fairhurst, Creative Director at Dalziel & Pow, said, sharing her thoughts on the Asteri project, “We adore working with Asteri and are incredibly proud of our partnership. It’s exciting to see our guiding vision “Sisters Under the Stars” brought to life across the ever-expanding constellation of stores, each beautifully unique but stronger together. Asteri is a bold, brave and ambitious; a brand to watch.”