The answer came almost immediately; we were missing a space that is more than just a commercial one (trying to sell at all costs); we were missing a space that is in connection with nature, in connection with the neighborhood, the community, a space in which young families would want to come and spend some quality time, to find friends, advice, help.

This is why the most important intervention in the existing space is the addition of a new room; a tear-shaped room connected to the main volume but completely absorbed and surrounded by the new garden / playground area. It is imagined as a very open, bright, comfortable, and (because of its curved shape) soft space to spend time in. It would be a space for workshops, a space for learning, socializing, and observing the nature you are immersed in.

The workshop space is connected to the main volume and continues into a coffee shop area where the customers can have a break and refresh themselves with a beverage or a snack after shopping, or simply sit and wait for their children. We have two playground areas situated close to this zone, so the parents can leave their children to play and relax without worrying. The rest of the space is the commercial area. We tried to use soft, children-friendly shapes and colors while designing the display system, which has been placed very carefully within the floor plan in order not to overcrowd the space. The items placed on the shelves should be distributed with the same logic; overcrowding the shelves (same as the space) with items is always counter-efficient. We proposed sealed MDF (properly protected) as the main building material; it has a kind of warm, wood-like quality but is much easier to work with, so the price is contained.

As in all of our projects, we dedicated a lot of thought to designing the light inside the space. It has to be properly guided and controlled in order to give the appropriate attention to the items exhibited, to give the correct light quality and mood for playing and learning but still not to be exaggerated (the thing that often happens in commercial spaces), and be able to create that magic atmosphere inside the space during, the day and during the night.