Building Materials — Plumbing & Mirrors
DIY store shelving does not always look like shelves. For the bathroom and mirror department of a DIY superstore we made a display wall with mesh bins and promotional islands at the aisle ends.
Mirror wall with bins
The load-bearing frame consists of uprights and diagonal braces in black steel section. Labelled samples hang on the black background between them: each mirror is at eye level, whether round, shaped or fitted with a shelf. Below the samples, in three steps cascading from the wall to the aisle, stand the stock bins: a frame of square section with sides and a base of expanded metal mesh. Packed mirrors stand in them upright, on edge, and do not press on one another. The steps let you see and reach the goods in the back row, and the mesh shows how many are left. The shopper needs neither an assistant nor a stockroom: the stock sits right under the sample.
Promotional islands at the aisle ends
Islands for goods on offer stand at the aisle ends. At the bottom is a platform on a plinth with corner guards, where the boxes are stacked. Above it is a cantilevered shelf with a perforated metal deck: samples such as toilets stand at eye level. The back wall is made of panels in a dark stone decor, and a box for price cards on top can be seen from afar. For long goods we made a version with a mesh bin in which they stand upright. A slanted stand for lawn mowers shows how large goods are displayed on a different structure.
Black metal and mesh
All the shopfitting in this department is black or graphite: against it white ceramics, mirrors and light packaging come to the front. Mesh instead of solid sides lets light through and does not hide the goods. We made fixtures for smaller goods in a kitchen appliance shop with a display kitchen stand. A black frame with a light wooden shelf is used in the grocery store fit-out.
How a shop project runs from the brief to installation is described in a separate article. This layout suits departments with flat and fragile goods: mirrors, glass, panels, door leaves. More on the custom shop fittings page.
