Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

On the Nose: Ffern in London, a Perfume Shop With a Sensual Aura

Search

On the Nose: Ffern in London, a Perfume Shop With a Sensual Aura

Edvinas Bruzas December 21, 2022

You can tell from the hand-hewn front door steps that there is something special happening at 23 Beak Street in London’s Soho. On entering the space—home to the Somerset-based organic perfume makers Ffern—the cacophony of the street gives way to a multi-sensory experience that is immersive and cocooning and hard to leave.

the entrance to the shop. 17
Above: The entrance to the shop.

“Behind all that we do at Ffern is the urge to reconnect with nature,” explains Emily Cameron, the creative director who co-founded Ffern with her brother, Owen Mears, in 2017. “In making seasonal fragrances—one for autumn, winter, spring, and summer—we hope to encourage people to live more in tune with the rhythms of the year. We celebrate our natural ingredients for their complexity and depth. Even our packaging is biodegradable, being made in the UK from mycelium.”

It follows that the design for their flagship store also put nature first. It is entirely plastic free, composed of earth-friendly materials that celebrate craftsmanship and—as a result—it will leave a lighter footprint on the planet. How did they do it?

a display wall at ffern&#8\2\17;s flagship store, where product and place a 18
Above: A display wall at Ffern’s flagship store, where product and place are perfectly aligned.

Emily turned to Louisa Grey, founder of House of Grey, with a deceptively simple brief. “We wanted to make a space that would reflect the natural environment from which Ffern was born: the lower levels of Exmoor and the Blackdown Hills,” Emily explains. “The beauty of this Somerset landscape is both wild and understated, filled with muted colors and the occasional dazzling rock formation or field of flowers.”

Louisa’s studio specializes in salutogenic design, an approach that originated in the healthcare industry and is focused on creating “healing spaces.” For Louisa, this translates extremely well across retail, commercial, and private residential homes.

“The retail sphere has become very ‘templated,’ and the majority of retail spaces feel very synthetic—highly illuminated with unnatural strip lighting, no air flow—and the result is a space which isn’t warm, inviting, or unique,” says Louisa. “Most retail design is situated in an extremely built-up environment, not a natural ecosystem to feel at ease in, and for me it has the opposite effect of feeling grounded and centered. I personally find myself wishing to be elsewhere.”

Louisa’s challenge elicited the opposite response. “We wanted to develop a hugely positive perception of what a retail space can be, showing what’s possible, creating a person-centered space that empathizes with the customer.”

Emily leads us on a tour:

&#8\2\20;coming into the store, one of the first things you&#8\2\17;ll  19
Above: “Coming into the store, one of the first things you’ll see are those Somerset stones, literally a piece of Somerset at the heart of our space,” says Emily. Slabs of Blue Lias, Ham Stone. and Hadspen Fossil were all chosen for their unique colors and textures. 
a close up of the somerset stone. 20
Above: A close-up of the Somerset stone.
&#8\2\20;to follow the passing of seasons, house of grey designed a beautif 21
Above: “To follow the passing of seasons, House of Grey designed a beautiful glass vessel that has become our ‘liquid hourglass'” Emily explains. “At the beginning of each season, we fill it with the latest fragrance. As the season passes, the oil drips onto the terracotta stones below, handmade for us in Norfolk. For each new season, we refill the vessel. It is a ritualistic process, mapping the turning of the year.”
&#8\2\20;the centerpiece of the store is our entirely compostable mycelium  22
Above: “The centerpiece of the store is our entirely compostable mycelium desk, thought to be the first of its kind in the world,” says Emily. “It was made by growing mycelium roots around waste from the timber industry and in case of damage can be regrown in less than a week. We have used mycelium (made by Magical Mushroom) as part of our packaging for some time now, so it was exciting to work with them on a larger scale.”
&#8\2\20;the walls are painted in breathable lime paint by bauwerk; this fe 23
Above: “The walls are painted in breathable lime paint by Bauwerk; this feels light and artistic, the visible brush strokes bringing an almost ethereal quality to the space. Someone once compared a Ffern fragrance to a watercolor painting, and we liked the idea that this paint could reflect something of this quality,” says Emily.

Louisa has used Clayworks and Bauwerk lime wash paint in several residential projects: see our previous post on Louisa’s House of Holism. “We are well versed in the health benefits, circular design qualities, and the aesthetic beauty of both,” she says.

&#8\2\20;moving through into the back room, which houses our fragrance arch 24
Above: “Moving through into the back room, which houses our fragrance archive, the walls are clad by Clayworks in Cornish clay. Textured and organic, this brings a cocooning feel to the room, which centers around a table and bench made from fallen ash by the furniture designer Edward Collinson. The room is softened by a large saffron linen curtain. On the floor, seagrass matting, handwoven in Margate, adds to the effect, creating an engaging and tactile environment in which our fragrances can really sing.”
fragrance samples are displayed on mycelium trivets. 25
Above: Fragrance samples are displayed on mycelium trivets.
edward collinson&#8\2\17;s table stands on seagrass matting. &#8\2\20;a 26
Above: Edward Collinson’s table stands on seagrass matting. “At one point we had so many craftspeople in the shop, all with such a wonderful vision for each piece they were creating, so much attention to detail,” Emily recalls. “It contributed to a feeling of slowness, which I think is palpable in the shop. Everything is a bespoke piece requiring much patience.”

Customers will be encouraged to spend time in the archive room and are invited to try a cup of Ffern’s organic herbal tea, view artworks from Ffern’s community of artists, or watch the season’s film. Next year, the store will also host a series of workshops, from perfumery to candle-making and natural dyeing, as well as live podcast recordings from the brand’s monthly podcast, As the Season Turns.

For more places worth visiting in London, see:

(Visited 3,253 times, 1 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

v5.0