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Where panache meets royalty

By Retail4Growth Bureau | June 01, 2022

Ensign, the bespoke men’s & prêt store at Rambagh Palace, designed by Scapesmiths, adds a contemporary expression to rich traditional aesthetics to offer a complete sensory experience.  

Ensign, the bespoke men’s & prêt store at Rambagh Palace, is a classic example of traditional and modern design sensibilities coming together seamlessly. Design studio Scapesmiths was commissioned by Ensign to develop an exclusive 750 sq. ft menswear retail store in the Rambagh Palace vicinity.

The brief was to build a store that would reflect the heritage vibe of the palace and accommodate a reception area, display pockets for merchandise and accessories, and a private changing screen.

Scapesmiths got cracking on it by first studying the rich traditional setting of the Rambagh Palace’s premises and conceptualising  a rich sensory retail experience to match the regal ambience. The studio aimed at retaining the visual language of traditional architecture and representing the sartorial craftsmanship of Ensign in a way that retains the historic charm, while offering a contemporary expression.

Scapesmiths informs that the store is adorned with Mehrabs — arches from the Indo-Saracenic culture serving as an important focal point of the design. Further, taking a cue from Jaipur’s fort architectural influences, the teal coloured arches function as the primary display much like a Jharokha (a viewing window) and have wallpaper backing which serves as an extra layering material. These Mehrabs which form the major display pockets of the store are predominantly divided into three sections of clothing—traditional, indo-western and formal.

As Scapesmiths explains, the store allows the user to experience the prominent change in the design language through simple forms and materials. Handpainted ornamental detailing on the ceiling call out to the visitors, while bright burnt orange furniture lend the much needed visual contrast to the store.

Traditional crafts of Jaipur such as the Rajasthani style of painting, bespoke furniture and stonework have been reinterpreted in a contemporary idiom. While a combination of teal and orange ties the space together, sandstone used in the façade of the counters, fabric tufted wall, glass tabletops, and furniture layered with traditional prints cuts the visual massing of materials. To infuse modernity and artisanal skills in the vocabulary, engraved stone slabs in white have been cast to accentuate the cashier counter and the display counter.

Handpainted patterns and inlay run extensively from the ceiling to the flooring and the bespoke storage niches, while the flooring tiled in black and yellow-white grains offer an opulent vibe to the space.

Scapesmiths further shares that unencumbered by the site challenges of constrained space, an open plan arrangement for the store was planned with a screen functioning as a changing corner and storage units behind the mirror laced with Mehrabs. A customized display framed in metal exhibits the brand’s bespoke menswear accessories such as ties, square pockets, designer cuff links etc.

On lighting, the studio shares that the store’s lighting profile follows both direct and indirect lighting schemes to valourize the structure, the furniture as well as clothing and display. A majestic blown glass chandelier was specially sourced from Ferozabad to add regality and lustre to the display positioned directly below it. Focus lights in the display niches, workstation and accessory display bring out the true colour of the merchandise and add a palatial glow. Laced with cove lights, and recessed lights, the lighting profile both highlights the contents and spells a warm welcoming feel for the visitors.

Overall, the choreography of design, hybrid influences and layering of material and lighting creates a rich sensory experience at the Ensign retail store.  

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