Retail
Rhubarb has some unusual requests from time to time but this project was certainly one that put our capabilities to the test. We were asked by a retail design company who deliver projects for some of the foremost fashion brands to work with them on a project that required upholstered mountains for the main display units.
The Challenge
The client’s design for the store included four large mountains, shaped like the contours on an ordnance survey map. Each piece had nine layers, upholstered in different shades of blue wool felt, with the smallest measuring 2.1m by 1.8m across, the biggest a huge 5.5m by 4.5m and the additional complication that a couple of the “mountains” would have a column in the middle of them. We received the client’s drawings via our customer and then needed to translate the shapes into structures that could be manufactured and then upholstered. Because of the size of the pieces, this was a complicated process – each layer had to be drawn separately, the joins had to be minimised and as invisible as possible, and we needed to ensure they were built in such a way that our customer’s installation team would be able to transport and assemble them easily on site.
Project Scope
Even before our detailed technical drawings for each mountain were completed, we made and upholstered sample sections for the client to approve. The outer edges of every element required a top-stitched finish so this was quickly incorporated into the scope. Once the final samples had been signed off, we were able to complete our drawings and submit those for approval. This was particularly important because the way in which each layer was split into sections, and the location of the joins, was a sensitive issue for the client and we needed to ensure, via our customer, that every detail was approved before we started manufacture.
How we Delivered
As with most retail fit-out projects, there was a fairly tight timeline for delivery of the mountains and a fixed deadline for their installation on site. Despite some rather nerve-wracking delays with the delivery of the fabrics, which necessitated a very late change in the selection of one of them, we were able to complete the manufacture on schedule. We prepared detailed videos showing exactly how each unit needed to be assembled on site and invited the head of our customer’s installation team to the factory to receive instruction first-hand.
The result was really eye-catching and a big success. It was a high profile project and one we were proud to be a part of.
