Thanks again to Ashley for letting us host this giveaway. It was an absolute privilege to be a small part of her new adventure. She is a constant source inspiration as you will see later on in this post. Thanks to everyone who entered, but the winner is:
KIM SMULLEN!!!
If you didn’t win, be sure to head over to Under the Sycamore to register. Registration opens at 7 am. I am sure they will go fast. This month she is offering an introductory price of $150! Next month the price goes up to $200. It is well worth it!
Last week, I finished up our newest display at Anthro and I’m so excited to share it with you. Many of you have asked how the display process shakes out (does corporate tell us exactly what they want, do I get to do whatever I want, ect). Well, here’s how it happens. A group of higher ups decide on concept ideas and the general feel they want for that particular concept. Sometimes it is very open and sometimes it’s more concise. Sometimes they tell us what materials to use and sometimes they just give suggestions. It’s pretty open, but every design has to be approved by a couple of people before it can be put into action. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to reveal much more than that, but I think that gives you a pretty good idea for how things work.
Anyway, let’s get to this display. The feel I was going for here was a little more masculine than normal with a bit of “geek chic” thrown in. Through out the concept, I used old wood clothing hangers, spindles, and books to to add special touches.
This concept was less about a crazy art installation and more about functional and intriguing display pieces.
I built these two pieces above to create and “L” shaped composition. As you can see one of the pieces is built to reflect a stair step effect. This made the display feel dynamic and gave us some great space to show off product.
I used books to add some fun texture to the space, but also to provide support for the structure. Oh books, there are so many uses for you!!!
I used old hangers to create some “chandeliers” above the circular table. They are also great for displaying product, but I like them better with nothing hanging from them.
On one side of the “L” we planned to highlight some really fun and colorful jeans that we think will do really well this fall. The are hung from some cut off hangers to add a little interest!
Pretty fun, right!?
Behind the stair step unit is a sitting area that houses most of the books and stationary the store sells. This is where I suspect most of the men will congregate while their ladies shop.
The stair step display has a lot of fun and interesting features. As I said before the books act not only as a fun texture and look for the space, but as essential support for the piece. You can see the book “column” that keeps the piece strong and stable.
We also used the tallest stair step area to highlight a particular shirt that can be accessed from either side. Just another fun way to make this display unique and functional!
On the uppers (the shelves that are too high to be shopped) I composed fun props to tell a story about the kind of girl I see shopping this area.
Here is a close-up of a fixture I had the interns make. It is composed of a hanger, spindle, and books. As you can see, it holds some really cool glasses! Very “geek chic!”
As you can see from the photo below, I was able to incorporate the Kara Bow. I won’t stop until this becomes a trend! 🙂
On the other side of the space, nothing big needed to be built or installed. I just needed to come up with some interesting and relevant items to decorate the upper shelves. Here’s what I came up with!
I had the idea to create a grouping of “antlers” created from old hangers. I thought this idea was really fun, unique, and could easily display product (hats, scarfs, ect) if we wanted them to. Oh, and I didn’t have to hunt any animals in order to make them. 🙂 Also on the shelves are some plants (you know we love greenery here at Anthro). I had a fun idea to cover their pots in book pages and make them look like formal clothing. Throughout the space, our plants boast tie, bow ties, and ruffled collars! Hat stands made from spindles also adorn the shelves.
Finally, I needed something on the shelves that would add some femininity and a touch of modernity to the space. That’s when something I had recently seen sprung to mind! And I was really excited to use the idea.
If you guys follow Ashley Ann (and I know most of you do) you may remember a couple of weeks ago when she posted about coming to visit Anthro and left feeling inadequate. Well when I read that, it absolutely blew my mind because as you all know, Ashley is incredible. Anyway, all that to say the idea that came to mind was the paint by number art project that Ashley did. I loved it immediately and I knew it was perfect for this concept.
Here’s what one of the paintings looked like before.
And after!
So much more modern and vibrant! Thanks for the inspiration Ash!
Here are just a few more cool fixtures we made for this concept.
I used an old silverware holder to display a ton of fun glasses. It was perfect fit for the job!
I gave the interns the task of creating these custom upholstered jewelry holders.
For signage, I used old library catalog cards and typed out specific products names and prices. A paper clip holds it in place. The idea fit our theme perfectly.
That’s it! So what do you think? Even though this isn’t an installation based display, does it still inspire you? I hope so!
Wow! This is incredible! I am hugely inspired and think you are just one super clever lady!
It looks great! I think your designs are really starting to look more “Anthro.” Not that they weren’t awesome before… I’m just seeing more out-of-the-box, large scale creations in what you’re doing now. I remember seeing your post about designs at Anthro (maybe in Vegas?) that inspired you, and I think you’re producing stuff now that’s just as inpsiring. It’s fun to watch you come into your own! 🙂
It’s amazing. Truly inspiring. I love everything you did with the hangers. People would seriously buy those antler and chandeliers if you sold them I’m sure. Now every time I walk into our Anthro, I think about you and wonder who does our windows and displays.
I love everything ! It blows our Anthro out of the water. I love the imagination you have and wish i had an iota of it ! Love the antlers, love the old silverware box display, love the chandys. Love the use of books and the twist on book page design. You have so much creativity, this is the perfect job for you and your art !
Bethany
I was just in the store Friday (obviously before I read this post!) and my sister and I were admiring all the fixtures and displays. You do an incredible job! Thanks for sharing it with us on your blog!
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Kara,
I can’t even imagine how long it must take you to put all of this together! AMAZING. I just love those hanger antlers and the paint-by-number inspired paintings!
Jill
bellalulu vintage
Well now I have to come take a picture of your painting to brag that I inspired something at an Anthro store!
I’d like to just come sit with a coffee and be inspired…it could be my new ‘happy place’
everything about this is just awesome.. I want to live in anthropologie
Everything looks great! I wanted to thank you for this post. I can’t tell you how many people ask or search my blog to find out who designs the displays at Anthropologie {I post photos a lot but don’t know}. Now I have somewhere to send them for answers.
Super cute! Love the term “Geeky Chic”! I always have so much fun going to the Anthro in Utica with my sister.
i love it all! Just love it! Before I found your blog, I had been in a couple of Anthro stores and loved the creative use of unexpected objects for displays. I’ve always wanted to incorporate some of that whimsy in my home. Can you do a post (or several) sometime on how to use the Anthro “look” in a home? It woukd be so fun to see what you come up with! I’d volunteer my house to be the guinea pig any time! 😉