Bassike Venice Beach by Akin Creative with Brook&Lyn
For their first international store, founders Deborah Sams and Mary Lou Ryan of Australian luxury apparel brand Bassike chose Venice Beach in California. This, after all is a brand that has ocean culture and relaxed living at their core, hailing originally from the sun-drenched town of Avalon on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The store designed by Australian architect-designer Kelvin Ho of Akin Creative and Los Angeles-based creative duo BROOK&LYN design, is equally fitting – appealing in particular to Bassike’s utter knack for epitomising a pared-back aesthetic rendered in the finest materials, with simple yet considered details and a timeless celebration of the everyday.
Throughout the space, Akin Creative and BROOK&LYN have created a space of clean white walls, polished concrete and lots of natural light, with skylights, floor to ceiling steel-framed windows, and glass doors at both entrances working to let the sunshine in and cleverly bounce through the interior to amplify the sense of openness. Green foliage from the rear courtyard spills in to keep things relaxed, and generous fittings, precise details and carefully selected pieces of furniture give the space its texture and individuality. BROOK&LYN’s custom made grand (yet completely fresh and inviting) ‘Angled Bar Daybed’ with intricate slats carved from solid rift sawn American white oak sits in the centre of the room, accompanied by a vintage ivory Moroccan rug with charcoal-like scribbles that puts something textural under foot. A large bevelled mirror layered over a piece of meticulously cut Mountain Calacatta marble leans just so against a side wall.
As well as being the perfect setting for the Bassike collection, the space is also in touch with its local surroundings. Taking inspiration from the Venice surf, skate and well-being culture as well as commissioning independent LA artists and designers, the Venice store feels both like home (in Australia) and something truly Californian. “The intention is that the store feels relevant to its neighbourhood,” says Sams, “so working with local creatives has been a focus for us throughout the design phase.”
While the overall space, as per the brief, is a “relaxed and open plan interior with lots of natural light”, the level of detail is something to behold. There are far more elements than we’ve mentioned (like the large discs of milky white marble upon a clear base of bent glass half-cylinders to display bags and folded separates, hand spun metal planters and cacti, the perfect combination of neutrals to compliment the organic cotton and linen tees, shirts and pants), effortlessly calm yet created with the highest level of care.
Credits: Brook & Lyn
