How do you make a strong yet elegant and cohesive design statement to connect a historic Victorian arcade with a modern retail setting? This was a key challenge for Object Space Place, the architects commissioned to create landlord furniture and kiosks for the Victoria Gate and Victoria Quarter shopping centres in Leeds. In the search for contemporary yet timeless materials and finishes, Corian® design surface became a key solution to creating welcoming yet robust installations.

Multi-functional furniture

Running through the shopping arcades are a series of elliptical information desks, plus seating booths and other elements, all formed from the refined beauty and adaptability of Corian®. In the recently introduced Deep Nocturne colour, part of a series of rich, saturated dark tones made with pioneering DeepColour™ Technology from DuPont, these organically flowing elements make a distinctive impact while offering multi-functionality.

Brendan Mullard, Director of Object Space Place explains, “Both arcades have a continuity in the design of their shopfronts, with curved glass and gloss black stall risers. Combining thermoformed Corian® in Deep Nocturne, polished to a 1000 grit finish with curved and patterned glass, we were able to reflect the design of these shopfronts, creating a current aesthetic that is strongly linked to the existing architecture. Practically, the horseshoe shaped seating areas were intended to provide comfortable and sheltered spaces for customers. Corian® was key to realising these curved and tapered forms with a gloss black surface. The arcades are high traffic areas and whilst the tapering forms help to mitigate scratches, Corian® in Deep Nocturne was chosen for its consistent pigment throughout.”

A versatile solution

This go-to material for designers seeking just the right combination of panache, versatility and performance has been fully maximised here to create customer service desks, retail kiosks, inviting seating with integral fountains, waste bins, planters and advertising screens. The malleability and homogeneity of Corian® makes it ideal for incorporating elements such as water or horticultural features, plus the contemporary necessities of IT and AV equipment, interactive touch screens, etc., making it the material of choice for upmarket retail, hospitality and leisure environments.

Sleek, smooth and tactile, Corian® creates the ideal interface between busy shoppers, service staff and shopping centre management. Durable, easy to care for, and repairable if necessary, Corian® will help to maintain a welcoming ambience of lasting sophistication and timeless style. By virtue of its ability to be formed into visually seamless monolithic structures, Corian® can add a sculptural quality to essential, day-to-day furnishing elements.