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High on hydroponics

By Retail4Growth Bureau | April 20, 2022

This store of Cultivo Greens Pvt. Ltd, located in Aurangabad and designed by Pune based design house Studio Noya, promotes the Hydroponics concept of cultivation and a healthy and green-friendly way of life.

Hydroponics, the method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water without soil, is increasingly gaining traction. This hydroponics store of Cultivo Greens Pvt. Ltd located in Aurangabad, was designed by Pune based design house Studio Noya run by architect Sheetal Patel, to promote the Hydroponics concept and a healthy and green-friendly way of life .

The store design objective essentially was to conceptualize and develop a retail identity for the brand - a “visual cue that tells the brand’s culture to promote holistic lifestyle and its vision to educate the masses about the future of agritech – Hydroponics”, according to Studio Noya.

The store is a compact 615 sq.ft green space located at the CIDCO complex in Aurangabad and occupies 2 units of a semi-basement in a two-storied mixed-use building with substantial footfall.

Details of the store project as shared by Studio Noya:

Theme

With a colour theme mix of Dandelion Yellow and Amsterdam Green, and an open-layout dominated by french windows, the idea was to mix the ambience of a quaint European cafe with the vibe of a farmer’s market informs  the studio. Apart from hydroponically-harvested salad greens, fruit, vegetables and edible flowers, this modest sized store was conceptualized to double up as a salad bar and health café.

Zoning & Planning

The team worked around the space constraints in terms of view, light, ventilation and space provisions for services while zoning of the space.

The main shopping & billing area was thus pushed to the front,  which helped as it got maximum frontage from the main street.

The storefront is further separated distinctively into two sections by a metal partition that displays curated potted plants by the owner’s mother for sale. The metal archway also helps in dividing the shopping and display areas.  

Use of glass and metal and windows that open out to the front helped connect the interiors with the exterior, making the space more visually and physically accessible.

The team did face quite a number of challenges, especially in terms of space planning, finding the right sized materials like raw wood and customising it to match the desired, rustic look, etc. The team also had to extend the landing to accommodate outside chairs.

Material Palette

The vibe of a farmers market was mainly depicted through the use of raw pine wood used in the furniture, M.S black powder coated customized racks, cane baskets and pallet crates with a chalk board name plates were used to display the produce.

French window styled black powder coated metal frames with glass inserts was designed to make it visually accessible.

The colors abundantly used in the space are white, black and green which are also the brand colors of the company.

Annie Sloan Chalk paints were used in the entire store. According to the design team, the biggest advantage of these chalk paints are that they are non toxic, odorless, food safe and eco friendly

Design Highlights

Elements that ensure more sales:

1) The Arched metal partition in 1” square bar ,pine wood tops placed at varying heights acts as a flexible display area for products of different sizes. With the use of varying sized stands and cane baskets all the display areas have a lot of flexibility in terms of sizes, heights and placements to cater to addition or seasonal changing products.

2)The custom-made island table in the shopping area that displays prominent seasonal produce subconsciously forces the shoppers to browse through the entire display of produce and products before billing.

3)The promotional cart showcasing the bestsellers of the week or seasonal recipe and info cards is placed near the billing counter with the two fold Reason: 1. It can keep people occupied and patient till the billing is done. 2. It promotes impulse buying at the last minute.

4) The community table, which acts as the socializing spot, can be approached from both sides in case of both open and shut top hung window and is designed in a way that it can be used diversely for different kinds of interactions.  

With provisions for engagements and a mix of green-friendly  aesthetics, the store very well seeks to fulfill the brand objectives.

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