Filou & Friends: A Playful Shop Design for Children

Revolutionizing the Retail Experience for Kids

Flexibility is at the heart of the concept created by Caluwier Olivier for Filou & Friends' new stores. More than just a simple kids' corner, the entire shop now revolves around a unique language taken directly from children's imagination. The designer came up with the idea of having a rail following the contours of the store, which works as a link to the metal playgrounds and work areas that can take on different functions.

The rail is made from a metal tube, onto which several extra metal elements can be attached. The rubber volumes in the shop are made of MDF and are covered with flooring rubber from Nora, giving them a playful and tactile feel.

With a total area of 75 square meters, the Filou & Friends shop design offers a dynamic and interactive space for children and their parents to explore. The shop can easily be transformed by the staff, allowing them to add hanging rods, move storage ladders, and adapt the interior according to the current collection or sale.

The design process for the Filou & Friends shop took almost a year, with construction lasting for 1.5 months. Located in Waregem, Belgium, this innovative retail space showcases the brand's commitment to creating a unique and engaging shopping experience for children.

Throughout the design process, the team faced the challenge of creating a system that would allow the client to change the shop interior every season, collection, or sale period without relying on a traditional retail rack system. The goal was to make the system unique to Filou & Friends, instantly recognizable and reflective of the brand's identity.

The Filou & Friends shop design has garnered recognition in the design community, receiving the Bronze A' Design Award in 2018 in the Interior Space, Retail, and Exhibition Design category. This prestigious award celebrates designs that exhibit creativity, resourcefulness, and technical skill while contributing to improvements in quality of life.

With its innovative approach to retail design and its focus on creating a playful and immersive environment for children, the Filou & Friends shop design by Caluwier Olivier is a testament to the power of design to transform the way we experience and interact with spaces.