Five shop fronts it’s impossible to ignore

We’ve compiled some of the very best tiled hotels, restaurants, and cafes, but today it’s all about shop fronts. These spaces make you stop and stare, and compel you to head inside to spend.

1) Hermès in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Amongst the various luxury shops on PC Hooftstraat in Amsterdam you’ll find a building morphing from old to new. The original red brick facade cascades down into an incredible show of architectural prowess with clear glass bricks offering a unique glimpse into the shop. Designed by MVRDV the store originally housed Chanel but is now a location for Hermès. The project sought to recreate the exterior of the original building, forming each brick, architrave, and all, out of a high-strength UV bonded material that has all the elegance of glass.

Photography by Daria Scagliola and Stijn Brakkee

2) Camper in Barcelona, Spain

Beyond the big black-framed glass doors of Barcelona’s Camper store sits a stunning homage to Catalonia’s famously elegant structural support system, the bóveda. Taking inspiration from this architectural tradition, Japanese architect Kengo Kuma used a series of curved terracotta tiles, each connected, to create a unique display for the shop’s shoes.

Camper store Barcelona Kengo Kuma terracotta curved tiles interior design — Photo credit: ImagenSubliminal (Miguel de Guzman+Rocio Romero)

3) The Webster in Los Angeles, USA

A fabulous concrete curve in playful pink protrudes over the pavement for this show stopping shopfront for The Webster in Los Angeles. Designed by architect Sir David Adjaye and his firm Adjaye Associates, this incredible space is an awesome demonstration of what can be achieved with a simple twist of popular materials.

pink concrete The Webster california architecture David Adjaye — Photo credit: Laurian Ghinitoiu

4) HOFF in Bilbao, Spain

Pale aqua zellige tiles form a simple frame for the front of the HOFF store in Bilbao. The tiles, from Mosaic Factory, offer up a delightfully varied surface both in tone and texture, to create an air of elegance that is calming and chic, but also organic. The concept and design was formed by Matteo Ferrari and Ciszak Dalmas.

5) Boutique in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

A fiercely fabulous facade is on its way to the same street that houses Amsterdam’s crystal-fronted Hèrmes store. Set to house a boutique shop, this storefront will feature incredible 3D printed tiles from Studio RAP that wave and wiggle like rippling skin, detailed with knit-effect relief.