Casual Store, a new retail space in São Paulo, elevates minimalism to theatrical effect
A new showroom for furniture and design retailer Casual at Micasa, designed by Studio mk27, is a flexible retail project in Brazil that plays with light, transparency and typological constraints
Part of the Micasa furniture campus in São Paulo, Casual Store is conceived as both a functioning exhibition space and a beautifully designed spatial object in its own right. The new showroom for the well-known design and product destination in Brazil was created by Studio mk27, the architecture studio founded by Marcio Kogan – also behind a number of other Micasa buildings, such as the retail space Volume C, completed in 2022.
Discover Casual Store by Studio mk27
Casual Store is located in Micasa's complex in the Brazilian metropolis' Jardim neighbourhood. The architecture team applied its signature warm, invitingly minimalist approach to craft a seemingly simple volume – three orthogonal floors, neatly stacked on top of each other, wrapped in glazing and featuring elegant shading on the inside to protect from the hot sun.
Kogan (a long-term Wallpaper* presence, who guest-edited our October 2024 edition and shared with us his top 50 films of all time) worked on the architecture with colleague Samanta Cafardo. Interiors were created by Diana Radomysler and Pedro Ribeiro.
The practice's well-established cinematic approach is ever-present in Casual Store. The double skin of glass and slim white shading fins creates a dynamism and a sense of movement as visitors journey through the space. And while the volume might at first appear opaque from a distance, upon approach, peeks inside allow glimpses that tantalise the guest and beckon them in.
This play of transparency and light draws one in, but once indoors, the atmosphere changes to a serene, cocooning environment clad in light, neutral colours (mostly white) and clean surfaces. This is Studio mk27's contemporary interpretation of the 'white cube' of a gallery, the architects explain, putting the displayed furniture and products front and centre.
This seemingly simple geometry is not arbitrary, the team hastens to add. It serves functionality and supports the store's daily shows and other activities.
They say: 'A single geometric order governs the entire project: the Cartesian plan unfolds into the floor pattern, the orthogonal ceiling grid, the freestanding central volume, and the modulation of the façade. Across different scales, these elements become reflections of the same architectural gesture, lending the space a sense of coherence without compromising its flexibility.'
Everything is connected by a central core, a freestanding volume at the centre of the floor plan, which hosts circulation and any auxiliary spaces needed for the showroom’s smooth operation. Around this element, everything can move and adapt according to each display's needs.
This gives Casual Store more of a light, pavilion-like feel rather than that of a heavier, fixed structure. Here, exhibitions, events and other commercial functions can seamlessly merge, blurring the lines between retail and theatre.
