Paperchase Manchester

Great design should stand the test of time. With Paperchase’s retail store in Manchester having stood for some 18 years with its original interior, it’s a demonstration of what can be achieved through our approach to design. The original store was developed in 1997 by Ken Wingate of Made In Place Design, with this recent renovation undertaken in 2014.

With the original retail store setting a bench mark for retail design durability, we felt the new store required an intellectual approach to the renovation if the successor is too outlast the predecessor.

After a brief design deliberation, it was decided that Made In Place would stay true to its artisanal routes and deconstruct the retail space further. To do so, we began by removing the prominent purple wall which incorporated the ground floor, first floor and stair case. This resulted in a much more dramatic entrance to the retail store; flaunting the building’s interior architecture more so has also increased the visual retail space for entering customers, enabling them to view across the ground floor as well as the upper floors.

With the success of Paperchase’s third flagship store in Glasgow, a number of design elements were transferred to the Manchester outlet for continuity, including, the cash desk area with art work, newly designed shop fixtures and updated lighting system. The improved lighting not only provides better visibility throughout the store as well as reduce shadows, but has notably reduced the buildings energy performance also.

As with all Paperchase outlets, a bespoke colour scheme with art work and wallpaper was developed for the interior, shop front and sky light, in collaboration with Paperchase’s visual merchandising team; note the ‘subtle’ use of orange wallpaper which spans the back wall over all 3 floors.

The renovation of Paperchase’s retail store in Manchester completed in January 2015. A skeleton of its former self, we feel the design has provided the outlet with that intellectual back drop we were aiming for. The building now encompasses the Paperchase products without overpowering. It has allowed the store to be more adaptable than previous, providing a bold and unique shopping experience from entrance to exit.