Mayfair CONNECT Pods

The Challenge

Mayfair Shopping Centre has long been a fashion and lifestyle cornerstone in Victoria’s shopping scene, and we were delighted when they reached out to us in 2018 for help with CONNECT, a new pop-up artisanal marketplace in the newest addition to the mall. Each of the six booths needed to be versatile and able to accommodate & display a variety of different artisan crafts, from candles and jewelry to sweatshirts and art supplies. They also needed to have operable doors that could swing open during operating hours and be locked shut overnight.

Our Approach

The pods were designed using algorithms which were originally prototyped for the Otherworld Effigy earlier that year, using the intersection points between horizontal members to create an undulating overall shape. We stained the wood pieces in a diluted gradient from black at the bottom to natural wood at the top, breaking the monotony of the form and adding visual interest. We designed the fixtures to be modular and moveable; they could easily clip into any wall of the pod depending on what the particular vendor needed for their product display. Each pod was also equipped with a hinged, lockable door on wheels to ensure the security of the artisanal products when the market was closed.

The Result

Open between the months of November 2018 and March 2019, the CONNECT Marketplace added an element of hand-crafted artisanship to the mall, during a time when things are otherwise very geared towards consumerism and Christmas spending. The warmth of the wood, the organic shapes and curves, and the variety within structure all contributed to this successful installation.