Visual Merchandising

Trend Concepts A/W 21/22

Conscious Clarity
Embracing the beautiful
restraints of living with less

Take a warmer approach to minimalism with

a mix of tactile textures, digital influences
and designs that feel quietly luxurious

Malgorzatabany /Geijoeng
 Conscious Clarity
Embracing the beautiful restraints of
living with less
After an era that has been defined by choice, how do we
adapt to restraint? Conscious Clarity embraces the
beauty, innovation and opportunity that comes from
living with less.
Across the world, the impact of climate change and
public health crises are revealing themselves in
increasingly devastating ways, and living smaller and
smarter is becoming an imperative rather than a
choice. In South Korea, for example, food waste
recycling has increased from just 2% in 1995 to 95% in
2019 thanks to strict government policies, and in the
Netherlands (and soon beyond), new startup Gibbon is
making it possible to go on vacation without luggage
(or frivolous pre-vacation purchases) by renting excess
inventory from retailers to travellers. The free rein of
libertarianism is being supplanted by the beautiful
restraints of limitarianism.
For design industries, this shift to a more minimalist
mindset will take a number of forms. Today’s flexible
home must accommodate multiple activities in smaller
spaces, but at no expense to style.
Larger investments such as furniture will hold more
appeal if they incorporate configurable systems or
designs that offer more than one function. And across
consumer lifestyles, there will be a re-prioritisation of
leisure and time affluence. We will also see a re-
evaluation of retro themes across all categories, not
through the obvious recreation of specific styles or
decades, but through pieces that are more broadly rooted
in timeless design.
Fittingly, this direction can be best summed up by German
industrial designer Dieter Rams, whose dictum amounts
to just three words: “Less but better.”
For more macro trend information, consult our Big Ideas, Future Drivers and
Future Innovations reports.
 Action Points
Conscious Clarity embraces a more mindful approach
to consumption, which is reflected in a less-is-more
approach to design, focusing on timeless and durable
materials, and soothing and sophisticated colours
1. Slow down the pace: create a slower and more
mindful shopping experience that will boost
emotional and mental wellbeing through comforting
interiors that provide respite and moments of calm.
2. Embrace simplicity as a restorative luxury: stores
don’t always have to be a place to entertain; they
can simply offer a restorative experience that
transports visitors away from the stresses of
everyday life. Pared-down interiors free from visual
noise will allow for a more mindful experience.
3. Create balance: consumers are craving moments
of calm and comfort, as well as a sense of stability.
Counterbalance curved forms with clean planes and
angular lines, or pair soft and hard materials.
4. Design for longevity: timelessness and classic
design will replace obvious retro references,
enabling displays to be used long-term. Explore
materials that are both natural and long-lasting.

S elo
 Mood
In an age of over-consumption, Insta-friendly maximalism and
over-the-top experience stores, consumers are beginning to
seek more mindful shopping experiences. Stores will celebrate a
slower pace and provide a refuge for shoppers, with stripped-
back spaces that take a less-but-better approach to design
• Minimalism will evolve with a warmer and more considered
approach, with designs that are simple and functional, yet S elo
quietly luxurious. A soft and muted palette of pigmented mid-
tones, tinted retro neutrals and brushed metals will be key
• Create virtual-feeling environments through an alluring use
Beauf ille
of light, surface, pattern and plays on transparency, as
fascination grows for designs and spaces where the line
between real and digital is blurred

Rebecca Lee
Acne S t ud io s Alicja Kwad e H uaihua Wang
 Props & Fixtures

Noto

T he Well

Evoke a calming mood as well as a sense of nostalgia

with spaces that are pared-down, unassuming and
Lanvin
quietly luxurious, with subtle retro undertones
• Curved architecture and interior decor has been
shown to increase brain activity as well as helping
with fluid and intuitive navigation. Use sculptural
curved forms to divide up spaces, to create breakout
areas, or to provide pathways through stores
• As we continue to find comfort in designs that
speak of the past, era-less and timeless retro
undertones are played out through familiar forms and
materials
• Give spaces a soft, gentle feel through touches of
wood and delicate drapes, and add further tactility
Jil S and er @wo r ksho pf ar mer s Ar ch Daily through ribbed surfaces or folded forms
 Props & Fixtures
Simplicity and functionality are key in this trend, which sees
industrial styles re-emerge with a softer and more whimsical
feel. The lines between the past, present and future blur as we
move towards era-less and timeless design
• Forms, finishes and textures will be key for creating a softer
look. Create cocooning display fixtures and fitting rooms with
curved, domed or cylindrical forms MS GM

• Soften industrial forms through translucency and muted

sheen, and add warmth and tactility to metals through frosted,
brushed and sand-blasted surfaces
Apr iat i
• Soften spaces further by embedding gently diffused light
sources into entire walls and as accents in fixtures

H uaihua Wang
Z aland o Z eus & Dio ne Wu
 Lighting

O bject s o f Co mmo n Int er est

E lisa O ssino S t ud io
Cr af t Co mbine

Create unobtrusive, understated and elegant lighting

designs that seamlessly blend into surroundings
• Soft, tubular forms add a fun and poetic element to
spaces, or they can be delicately draped over surfaces.
Rounded or curved forms reinforce a sense of calm
• Blur the lines between real and digital aesthetics by
using materials with iridescent or transparent
elements, creating the illusion of a virtual environment
• Use warm, muted colours, elegant materials and
opulent accents to create a quietly luxurious look
Ar io st ea T he Fut ur e Per f ect

Dice Kay ek
 Lighting

APL

Ann Demeulemeest er
Delt a Light

Weave soft diffused lighting into the fabric of stores,

in line with this trend's simple, pared-down ethos
• LED wall panels, backlit cabinets and illuminated
countertops make for seamless lighting solutions
• Reimagine simple tube lights, either as singular
suspended statement pieces or in repeated
configurations as wall installations
• Use illuminated wall panels to frame products in
store installations and window displays

Co s Z aland o gl y ang
 Mannequins

Pet er Demet z

T im Walker Ky uin S him

Update minimalist mannequins with transparent elements,

mono-materials and subtle pigments, and evoke a sense of
simplicity and embrace natural beauty by stripping faces bare
• Experiment with transparent materials for entire forms or for
sculptural headpieces, adding interest without being imposing.
Layer transparencies to create a sense of weightlessness
• Take cues from the barely-there muted tones and chalkiness
of Urs Fischer's wax figures, which can also be achieved
through 3D printing. Emulate the calming qualities of natural
materials, referencing Peter Demetz's wood sculptures
And er s Kr isar

Ur s Fischer Ana Rajcevic

 Mannequins

S t éphane Co ut elle Car la Cascales

Use soft backdrops or sheer overlays, sculpted fabric props and

metallic thread accents to update existing forms, adding
interest while maintaining a pared-down and natural look Alice Ro sat i

• Soften spaces and tap into the mono-material trend by

creating fabric backdrops that complement your styling
• Experiment with sheer overlays to partially obscure forms,
creating a sense of allure or intrigue. Drape fabric to create
ripples and folds, adding gentle tactility to displays
• Add warm metallic accents through sculpted wire or thread,
applied as decorations to the face, as an alternative to make-
up

Maggie Mar ily n

E vely n Bencico va
 Materials, Surface & Pattern

N iko Ko r o nis

Ami

Geijo eng A play on transparency, intriguing surfaces and

alluring patterns brings a poetic lightness to displays
• Key materials include brushed metals, glass, resin
and translucent paper. Juxtapose hard materials such
as steel or concrete with soft drapes or foam, alluding
to both stability and comfort
• Surfaces are brushed, frosted or have a slight sheen
or lustre, adding a sense of depth and intrigue to
minimalist designs. Introduce tactility through rubber-
touch, powder-coated or ribbed surfaces
• For patterns, explore gradation, tonal terrazzo,
digital filter effects or angular geometric planes

S abine Mar celis At elier KH J S t ud io T est o

 Materials, Surface & Pattern

S t ud io Fo am

And r és Reisinger

Less can be more when it comes to colour and

material. Pare down your palettes and streamline your
Ben T et r o
materials for a simpler, calmer aesthetic
• For materials, use clay, concrete and ceramic to give
spaces an earthy quality. Accentuate through grained
wood, as well as plywood and MDF
• Pigmented minimalism will remain a driving
direction. Clad entire spaces in one material and/or
colour to create a steamlined, cohesive look
• Soften spaces by using curved forms with powder-
coated surfaces, or by adding ripples to hard
materials such as wood or metal
• Experiment with blurred stripes, organic forms and
O bject s & Id eas Laine + Alliage
tonal abstract shapes for patterns
T he Webst er
 Influences
2 The Webster
1 Selo
The seamless look of Selo’s
São Paulo store is designed
to provide a sense of
escapism for customers.
4 MSGM
Sabine Marcelis's translucent
fixtures offer a fresh update
for industrial aesthetics at
MSGM's new Milan flagship.
3 Acne Studios
Acne Studios' new store in
Nagoya, Japan, features
seamless display fixtures
with contrasting tactile
Adjaye Associate's mono-
elements.
material design for this luxury
retailer spans from the
cantilevered exterior to the
interior.
5 Lanvin
Curving, undulating 6 The Well
panels are positioned to The private member's club
emulate an intricate and store has been designed
layering of curtains in to facilitate connection,
Lanvin's Shanghai store, inspire the imagination,
designed by Dimore expand consciousness and
Studio. provide an oasis of positivity
and comfort.