Project Title: “Stepstop” Shoe Store
Selected for Scholarships 2011-12, Master of Interior Design for Commercial Spaces, School of Design, IED Barcelona

“stepstop” is a shoe store which has designed with the aim of creating an extraordinary place with saving money,manpower and energy. For this purpose the concept of the store is based on the waste water PVC pipes.

PVC is a cheap and recyclable material that could be easily installed. While i was working on this project i realized that the fittings of these pipes are also give a chance to design lots of different variations. I created shoe stands and fix them with the fittings. I put some colored lights between the pipes. Since the place gives unfinished built feeling with the plastic system and concrete floor-walls-ceiling, i wanted to make warmer atmosphere and dynamism with the colored lights. The ceiling part of the PVC pipe system has also lights in its own structure and the general lighting of the place is provided in this way.

Furthermore, i also used black sheet metal for the cashier desk and the seating/displaying unit that is placed in the middle of the projec t . I put the black sheet metal boxes on top of each other with the different angles in order to balance themselves and use the box at the top as a displaying unit. The box which is below the display unit is for the sitting part for the customers. The mirrors at the bottom of the PVC pipes system and the mirrored doors (which are opening to the storage and service areas) on both sides of the cash desk are intended to meet customers requirements for the mirror.

Retail store designs are periodically renewed and if the owner prompted to change interior design of the store after a time, “stepstop” gives a chance to use the products for the second life. The pvc pipes could be used as furniture like seating,shelving units etc. or they could be used for their real purpose again ‘plumbing’. Besides, the pvc and the sheet materials are also could be recycled and new shapes could be produced from them. Reusing the materials for the different purposes, recycling and prevent wasting resources are helping us to save our money,manpower and energy.