Aesop Upper East Side

A self-contained universe

Manhattan is a grid of architectural islands. A rigid chaos of concrete, steel and glass. Each skyscraper is a self-contained universe, presenting a tall, hard façade to the street. In this way, the pedestrian’s experience is vertically enclosed, limited to straight lines and right angles. When one steps into a building, however, an interior world is revealed, opening up non-linear possibilities previously unimaginable. The design of Aesop Upper East Side performs this transition—from outside to in, from hard to soft, from public to private.

The façade of stone and glass reflects the surrounding cityscape. At the same time, the warm interior beckons, drawing passersby in. The glossy, geometric posts of the shelving structure recall Manhattan’s characteristic building profiles, which ensure that light and air reach the street below. Each level of the posts’ inset corresponds to a different function: where one might sit, where one’s hands might rest on the basin, for example. In this way, the idea of urban zoning is translated to the scale of the human body.

As one journeys further into the store, the pleasures of the Aesop realm are discovered. A soft, tucked-away bench offers the weary rambler a place to rest. Obstructing the linear progression through the space, a central stone basin allows customers to wash away the grime of the metropolis. Perseverant visitors will reach a private space where an individual basin is hidden from view. This is the inner core of the Aesop cosmos: a place of intimacy, running water, and unlimited explorations of aromatic and efficacious products.