With a need to be both appealing and functional, designing a watch boutique is not without its challenges. Anthony de Haas, director of product development at German watch brand A. Lange & Söhne, acknowledges the contradictions at play in their new boutique: ‘Together with our architects, we decided on an approach that was inspired by the Bauhaus philosophy of combining craftsmanship, selected materials and technology in one cohesive whole,’ he says; the result is both simple and warm, an inviting environment in which to pause over a watch.
A clash of design details is carefully considered; sharp perpendicular angles and walls of glass unite with an amalgamation of steel and stone, a reference to the company’s home in Saxony’s mountainous Erzgebirge. Architectural details mirror intricate decoration on the watches: ‘Wall fittings feature metal pilaster strips that are bevelled at a 45-degree angle and polished – just like the edges of our watch components,’ explains de Haas.
‘Functionality is very often underestimated,’ adds CEO Wilhelm Schmid. ‘There are a lot of processes in such a boutique – and they simply have to work.’ §
