Aesop Auckland City

Our second New Zealand signature store is situated on Auckland’s High Street. Edged by the historic fortifications of Albert Park, it makes tonal and textural gestures to the site’s history; namely, its mysterious tunnels carved from the hill’s volcanic rock foundations. The design, created by our in-house Design Department, marries angular lines with the formidable heft of stone. Porous Timaru basalt was selected for the walls, offering texture and scale to the interior. Its deep blue-grey hue is offset by mossy green—a visual allusion to the lichen that coats the volcanic peak of One Tree Hill—and muted lighting. Upon entry, twin faceted steel masses provide a visual through-line. The smaller of these slabs features embedded hand-carved stone troughs and custom taps; the larger, at the rear, constitutes the sales counter. These monolithic forms are complemented by brushed metal shelving, inviting visitors to meander through the space.