House of fashion

For fashion buyers, buying trips across differentcontinents can soon blur into one not the best start for a manufacturer keen to secure a large order.

When jeans manufacturer Denim Village commissioned Christopher Hall of Hall Architectural Interiors to establish a showroom in Istanbul for its international fashion buyers, the challenge was to create a memorable, yet contemporary sense of place.

The space selected by Denim Village had been empty for around 15 years, its features submerged beneath layers of green and red paint. However, the room had large south-facing windows and period detailing from the original 1930s structure. And unlike the company's out-of-town factory, the building was centrally located in the city.

"I wanted to create a space that incorporated existing features, such as the cornices and the Art Nouveau ceiling details," says Hall. "I also envisaged a space that was quite contemporary and pure, with a thread of Turkey throughout. It was important that this was a distinctive place in Istanbul, as the company receives clients from every corner of the world."

Custom furniture, influenced by Danish and Italian designers, is placed alongside more Islamic-inspired pieces, such as an octagonal coffee table. The original oak herringbone parquet flooring has been restored, and the walls and ceilings painted white.

"I wanted to allow the pieces to talk, as they are quite strong like paintings in an art gallery," says Hall.

Keen to avoid the cliche of denim-clad walls or upholstery, Hall has restricted the fabric's use to two large ottomans, which provide flexible seating and additional display space for the merchandise. Denim is also referenced in the 20m-long seagrass carpet, which leads the eye to a custom tiled panel at one end of the room.

"I felt the room needed the panel as an anchor, and to provide a sense of proportion to counteract all the white," he says. "The tiles are typically Turkish they are the sort of ornament you'd expect to see in a mosque, a town square or the pages of a book."

The client needed space for a projection system, so the wall opposite the tiled panel has been left as an unadorned white surface. Lighting was another challenge: the design had to be visually strong and flexible, while respecting the fabric of the old building. The solution which won the Good Design Award 2008 for its creators, PSLab comprises large circular lamps, suspended from the ceiling on stainless steel arms. Encased in black fabric with a white translucent front, the four compact fluorescent lamps provide ambient light for the space as well as for the jeans displayed around the walls.

"The elongated arm system is designed to be flexible, to allow for a large turning angle while having a minimal impact on the ornamental ceiling," says Hall.

Story by: Alison Wall