Feel at home in a store

Angela Kruetz, MD of Blocher Blocher Partners, answers few questions on the interior design of stores...

What is the difference between doing interiors for commercial places in India and abroad?
There is not a lot of difference as such, as all the companies now look to offer a great brand experience to their customers. This translates it into a concept, which is adopted into the designing of the store. It does involve a lot of research on our part or the part of the designers doing the interiors as we need to understand the brands and their requirements and then work accordingly.

How important is décor for a store really?
When a person goes for a big brand, he or she needs to be able to connect with it and the store décor plays a very important role there. Visual communication with a customer is very important, because it goes a long way in building customer relationship.

Can you name a few brands that have impressed you with their store designs?
There are a lot of brands who are conscious of their store design as they want to provide a great shopping experience to the customers; Hugo Boss is one such brand. Customised store designs are in and it is a mix of materials and furniture which work for the ceiling and flooring to add an individualistic touch.

In India, have you seen any store with an interesting and quirky interior design?
I can’t name any particular store, there are a lot now with companies getting aware and international brands coming into play. The importance of interior design is increasing.

What kind of a role does store design play in the sales of a brand?
Design is very important; it must look nice and catch the attention of the customers and also needs to be functional. The customers must feel at home and not alienated when they are shopping, design adds on to the brand value.

What changes have you noticed over the years in India?
There have been a lot of changes; people have started thinking about design more seriously. It’s become important for the brand, how they would want to be perceived and with international players in the market, the importance has gone up.