Re: Re: Arnotts

So the interim revamp of Arnotts’ interior is well underway. It is remarkable the difference a dash of new flooring, cheap slab ceilings and a lick of paint makes in updating a store.

All of the trademark cast-iron columns have been beautifully painted in charcoal grey, to distinguished effect. Not only do they now look fashionable and elegant (grey very much being ‘the’ colour of the late 000s), the dark shade also highlights the columns as a prominent feature of the store, where their previous white glossy coating made them dissolve into the background. Smart grey carpets also feature on the stairs, as is a growing trend in retailing at the moment. The beechy counters are, however, a bit dodge…

The crisp, glossy new tiled flooring is modern and durable. It really shows up the tattiness of the previous manky beech coloured timber-effect covering which has yet to be covered over alongside it. Indeed, that whole interior scheme of beech surfaces and oval forms dated remarkably quickly, just as the fit-out of Debenhams in Jervis did, of identical date. By contrast, the sharper lines and better palatte of materials of the Jervis Centre itself have actually held up very well (even if they have been tweaked since). An interesting contrast.

Arnotts’ new slab ceilings could have been a little more inventive than the rather humdrum plain coffers on offer, but the glittering array of simple new halogen spots prove extremely effective in generating a sense of warmth and elegance. The glossy floor tiles pick them up beautifully. A very encouraging upgrade thus far, with the major interventions to the front of the store in cutting back the mezzanine to expose the full-height windows yet to come.