Aesop University Place

Elegant restraint and playful accents wrought in harmony

For our second signature space in New York City, we favoured Greenwich Village, a culturally rich neighbourhood that shares our literary leanings. Designed in collaboration with local architect Jeremy Barbour, founder of Tacklebox, Aesop University Place adopts a character at once subdued and playful—a fitting complement to a borough driven by creative experimentation and academic enquiry.

An expansive glass façade frames the interior, which was inspired, in part, by the works of German artist Joseph Beuys; most notably in its singular use of industrial felt as well as wall and counter cladding. The refined palette is further complemented by accents of concrete and honey-toned Oak, which outlines the store and furnishes irregularly aligned product shelving.

In honour of the company largely responsible for laying the steel foundations of modern Manhattan, the store’s sink was salvaged from Bethlehem Steel’s 140-year-old plant in Pennsylvania.