Al-Jawad Pike refreshes Aesop store with terracotta-tiled counter evoking ancient Persia

Local studio Al-Jawad Pike has given skincare brand Aesop’s shop in London department store Harrods a revamp, centred on a terracotta-clad counter designed to have “the qualities of a miniature building”.

Aesop has had a counter in Harrods for over a decade. For this revamp, Al-Jawad Pike, which is a long-term collaborator of Aesop’s, aimed to take the design further than a regular beauty-brand counter.

“We were interested in giving the counter the qualities of a miniature building, with suggestions of apertures, openings and floor levels: something designed with the architectural ambition of a building but the care of a cabinet,” Al-Jawad Pike co-founder Jessam Al-Jawad told Dezeen.

“Through carved alcoves we also wanted to recall the architecture of ancient Persia – the highly literate civilisation that developed liquid perfumery.”

The studio drew on Harrods’ easily recognisable red brick facade when designing the central counter, which is clad in terracotta tiles from Italy that were chosen for their ability to hold scents.

“We chose glazed terracotta early on in the process because of its connection to traditional fragrance production, but also because of its strong association with Harrods’ iconic facade,” Al-Jawad explained.

The counter is decorated with an alchemist-style design piece, described by Aesop as an “olfactory sculpture.”

Glass vessels filled with fragrances hang from a copper stand, with copper cones that let visitors experience the different scents.

“The olfactory sculpture is something that Aesop has been independently developing in different forms across a number of their projects,” Al-Jawad Pike explained.

“Our take on this was to create a delicate but organised structure of copper piping and blown glass, through which fragrance-infused air is pushed to scent funnels for customers to interact with.”

The colour palette of the Aesop store complements the monolithic terracotta counter, with brushed copper brought in as a tactile contrast.

“The colour palette was chosen in collaboration with the team at Aesop for its intensity and richness, which we felt resonated with the olfactory experience of fragrance,” Al-Jawad said.

“We paired this with matte, brushed copper because of its connection to fragrance creation and distillation.”

Earlier this year, Aesop launched its first lighting collection at Milan design week. Previous Aesop stores featured on Dezeen include a Barcelona shop by Mesura that won the 2024 Dezeen Award for best interior.