Maapilim beauty brand pop-up brings Mediterranean garden to New York City
Arched nooks, white pebbles and Mediterranean herbs are among the details inside this New York pop-up for Israeli beauty brand Maapilim, which is modelled on a Grecian rooftop garden.
Maapilim founders and partners Jonathan Keren and Doron Baduach enlisted Tel Aviv design studio Craft & Bloom to design the pop-up at 251 Elizabeth Street in the city's Nolita neighbourhood.
The aim was to reference the origins of the brand, which was founded in Tel Aviv, and use natural ingredients sourced from the Mediterranean near the Israeli city.
In response, Craft and Bloom has created a miniature Greek garden inside the small space.
White plaster lines the walls of the space to reference the architecture of Greece, where many of the buildings are painted white to reflect strong sunlight. White gravel and large pale concrete paving stones cover the floor, alongside with fresh herb plants found in Maaplim products.
"With slow living and wellness in mind, our pop-up store design is inspired by the convoluted Grecian rooftop gardens - surrounded by serenity, iconic Mediterranean shapes and local herbs," said Maapilim in a project statement.
On one side of the pop-up, Craft & Bloom has detailed the walls with stepped shelving for displaying products. An arched nook is punctured underneath to create a pocket for growing three plants.
A shelf is cut into the other wall with a long bench running underneath for customers to relax, test products, consult with a skin specialist or enjoy a coffee.
"The soft lines and imperfect shapes of the store's display, creates an approachable scene for customers – inviting them into vacation mode as opposed to the pristine clean lines of more modern displays," said the brand.
As the bench extends towards the rear of the shop, additional volumes are stacked on top to form the check out counter.
Additional details include the sink designed by Tel Aviv ceramicist Avi Ben Shoshan. The basin is accompanied by water jug instead of a faucet so that customers can bathe their hands in an "an ode to Greek baths".
To complement these details, Maaplim plays ambient music by the soundscape app Endel.
Maaplim is holding court in the temporary space for the month of April.
A number of brands have similarly launched pop-ups to entice design-savvy customers. Examples include The Arrival's concept store, which featured a pink bouncy castle, and a short-term space for minimal packaging brand Brandless.