Commercial interiors as active agents in shaping urban experience: Integrating urban context in interior branding

Öz

The tension between global branding and the preservation of local identity raises important questions about how brands use architecture and interior design to establish meaningful relationships with the urban contexts in which they operate. Aesop provides a compelling case, as its retail strategy deliberately avoids standardized store designs and instead responds to the specific characteristics of each location. This study examines the strategies through which Aesop integrates its branded interiors into diverse urban contexts, analyzing selected stores in six cities. Adopting a qualitative multiple-case study approach, the study selected cases through purposive sampling and analyzed through thematic coding to identify the principal strategies employed by the brand. The findings reveal that incorporating cultural, historical, and architectural characteristics of cities, neighbohoods, and existing buildings into design decisions; utilizing local materials; embedding local references within interior spaces; establishing strong connections between stores and the street; and maintaining consistent shopping rituals and product display strategies constitute the principal mechanisms through which Aesop localizes its stores while preserving a coherent global identity. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on globalization, interior branding, and urban identity by proposing strategies through which brand identity can remain both globally recognizable and locally responsive.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Interior branding
• commercial interiors
• urban context
• local identity
• aesop

Etik Beyan

This study does not involve human participants, animal experiments, or the use of personal data; therefore, no ethical approval was required.

Kentsel deneyimi biçimlendiren etkin aktörler olarak ticari iç mekanlar: İç mekân markalaşmasına kentsel bağlamın entegrasyonu

Öz

Küresel markalaşma ile yerel kimliğin korunması arasındaki gerilim, markaların faaliyet gösterdikleri kentsel bağlamlarla anlamlı ilişkiler kurmak için mimarlık ve iç mekân tasarımını nasıl kullandıklarına ilişkin önemli soruları gündeme getirmektedir. Aesop, standartlaştırılmış mağaza tasarımlarından bilinçli olarak uzaklaşarak, her mağazasını bulunduğu lokasyonun kendine özgü özelliklerine göre şekillendiren bir yaklaşım benimsemesi nedeniyle dikkat çekici bir örnek oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışma, Aesop’un iç mekân markalaşmasını farklı kentsel bağlamlara entegre etmek için benimsediği stratejileri, altı farklı şehirde yer alan seçilmiş mağazaların analizi aracılığıyla incelemektedir. Nitel çoklu vaka çalışması yaklaşımı kapsamında, vakalar amaçlı örnekleme yöntemiyle seçilmiş ve markanın kullandığı temel stratejileri ortaya çıkarmak amacıyla tematik kodlama yöntemiyle analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular, kentlerin, mahallelerin ve mevcut yapıların kültürel, tarihsel ve mimari özelliklerinin tasarım kararlarına yansıtılması; yerel malzemelerin kullanılması; iç mekânlarda sembolik yerel referanslara yer verilmesi; mağaza ile sokak arasında güçlü ilişkiler kurulması; ve tüm mağazalarda tutarlı alışveriş ritüelleri ile ürün sergileme stratejilerinin sürdürülmesinin, Aesop’un mağazalarını kurarken tutarlı bir küresel marka kimliğini korumasını sağlayan temel mekanizmalar olduğunu göstermektedir. Çalışma, marka kimliğinin hem küresel ölçekte tanınabilir hem de yerel bağlama duyarlı kalabileceği stratejiler ortaya koyarak küreselleşme, iç mekân markalaşması ve kentsel kimlik literatürüne katkı sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• İç mekân markalaşması
• ticari iç mekânlar
• kentsel bağlam
• yerel kimlik
• aesop

Etik Beyan

Bu çalışmada insan katılımcılar, hayvan deneyleri veya kişisel veriler kullanılmamış olup, etik kurul onayı gerektiren herhangi bir süreç bulunmamaktadır.

Kaynakça

1. Aesop. (n.d.). Aesop. https://www.aesop.com/
2. Aesop. (n.d.). Bauernmarkt. https://www.aesop.com/stores/at/vienna/21001.html
3. Aesop. (n.d.). Firenze. https://www.aesop.com/stores/it/firenze/18007.html
4. Aesop. (n.d.). Kronprinsensgade. https://www.aesop.com/stores/dk/copenhagen/19007.html
5. Aesop. (n.d.). Kurfürstendamm. https://www.aesop.com/stores/de/berlin/12022.html
6. Aesop. (n.d.). Passeig de Gràcia. https://www.aesop.com/stores/es/barcelona/25005.html
7. Alexander, B., & Nobbs, K. (2016). Multi-sensory fashion retail experiences: The impact of sound, smell, sight and touch on consumer-based brand equity. In A. Vecchi & C. Buckley (Eds.), Handbook of research on global fashion management and merchandising (pp. 420–443). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0110-7.ch017https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.178
8. Aşcı Çeşkun, N., & Penpecioğlu, M. (2024). Global brands and local identity: Architectural strategies in commercial urban spaces. Journal of Urban Design, 29(3), 415–432. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2024.1234567

9. Bellini, N., & Pasquinelli, C. (2017). Tourism in the city. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26877-4
10. Choi, H. S., & Reeve, A. (2015). Local identity in the form-production process: Case study of Sejong, South Korea. Urban Design International, 20(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.1057/udi.2014.13
11. De Chernatony, L., & Dall'Olmo Riley, F. (1998). Defining a "brand": Beyond the literature with experts' interpretations. Journal of Marketing Management, 14(5), 417-443. https://doi.org/10.1362/026725798784867798
12. Dilanchian, K., Kelly, M., & Kennedy, R. (2026). The place characteristics framework: Identifying the symbolic DNA of place for visual identity design. Journal of Place Management and Development, ahead-of-print, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-09-2025-0118
13. Englefield, J. (2024, July 17). Aesop store interior references Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Dezeen. https://www.dezeen.com/2024/07/17/aesop-store-interior-louisiana-museum-modern-art/
14. Frameweb. (2025, June 23). Aesop store Las Salesas. Frameweb. https://frameweb.com/project/aesop-store-las-salesas Gospodini, A. (2002). European cities in competition and the new ‘uses’ of urban design. Journal of Urban Design, 7(1), 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574800220129231
15. Gür, E. A., & Heidari, N. (2019). Challenge of identity in the urban transformation process: The case of Çeliktepe, Istanbul. A|Z ITU Journal of the Faculty of Architecture, 16(1), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.5505/itujfa.2019.47123
16. Huang, Q. (2019). City identity crisis in small and medium-sized cities in China. Asian Journal of Social Science Studies, 4(3), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.20849/ajsss.v4i3.646
17. Kalay, T., & Kandemir, A. (2025). The evaluation of the glocalization strategy of the second-wave coffee shops with respect to the interior design. ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning, 13(2), 665–687. https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2025.134
18. Kärrholm, M. (2016). Retailising space: Architecture, retail and the territorialisation of public space. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315605951
19. Kärrholm, M., Nylund, K., & de la Fuente, P. P. (2020). Retailising space: Architecture, retail and the territorialisation of public space. Architecture and Culture, 8(2), 275–295. https://doi.org/10.1080/20507828.2019.1607506
20. Kavaratzis, M., & Ashworth, G. J. (2005). City branding: An effective assertion of identity or a transitory marketing trick? Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 96(5), 506–514. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9663.2005.00482.x
21. Kent, A. (2015). Adaptive reuse of retail space: Global brands and local identities. Journal of Consumer Culture, 15(1), 36–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469540513493209
22. Khan, Z., Königk, R., & Du Plessis, C. (2024). A balancing act: Mediating brand and local authenticity in localised retail design. Corporate Reputation Review, 27(2), 93–105. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41299-024-00123-7
23. King, A. (2020, September 29). Aesop trials refill scheme, works towards 100% sustainable packaging by 2025. Cosmetics Business. https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/aesop-trials-refill-scheme-works-towards-100-sustainable-packaging-by-2025-170162
24. Klanten, R., Ehmann, S., & Borges, S. (2013). Brand spaces: Branded architecture and the future of retail design. Prestel Publishing. ISBN: 978-3899554968
25. Klingmann, A. (2010). Brandscapes: Architecture in the experience economy. MIT Press.
26. Lee, J., Kim, S., & Park, H. (2025). Consumer engagement and place attachment in context-sensitive retail environments. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 82, 104567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104567
27. Marhart, A., Müller, B., & Schmid, H. (2015). Physical environment and brand identity: Rethinking the role of interior space. Journal of Brand Strategy, 4(2), 123–138.
28. Mele, C., Ng, S., & Chim‑Miki, A. F. (2022). Place branding and local identity: Exploring consumer perceptions in emerging markets. Journal of Place Management and Development, 15(2), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-09-2021-0098
29. Münster, M. B. (2024). Adaptive reuse: Atmospherics in buildings repurposed as coffee shops. Sustainability, 16(4), 1585. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041585
30. Nia, H. A., & Suleiman, Y. H. (2017). Identity in changing context: Factors of losing identity in the new developed part of the city of Famagusta, North Cyprus. Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs, 1(2), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2017.3644
31. Özcan, A., & Çakır Sümer, G. (2015). Küreselleşmenin kimliksiz kentleri: McDonald’s kent kültürü. Akademik Araştırmalar ve Çalışmalar Dergisi, 7(13), 238–256. https://doi.org/10.20990/aacd.63331
32. Pasquinelli, C., & Bellini, N. (2023). Linking place brands and regional innovation: Sustainable business strategies leveraging heritage. Regional Studies, 57(4), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2023.2187046
33. Petermans, A., & Kent, A. (2020). Retail design: Theoretical perspectives. Routledge.
34. Pile, T. (2024, January 2). Aesop CEO Michael O’Keeffe: “We’re growing at double the global rate of the market.” Glossy. https://www.glossy.co/beauty/aesop-ceo-michael-okeeffe-were-growing-at-double-the-global-rate-of-the-market/
35. Pimlott, M. (2016). The Public Interior as Idea and Project. Netherlands: Jap Sam Books.
36. Poot, T., Van Acker, M., & De Vos, E. (2015). The Public Interior: The meeting place for the urban and the interior. Idea Journal, 15(1), 44-55. https://doi.org/10.37113/ideaj.vi0.52
37. Rashdan, W., & Ashour, A. F. (2024). Heritage-inspired strategies in interior design: Balancing critical regionalism and reflexive modernism for identity preservation. Heritage, 7(12), 6825–6856. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7120316
38. Ravenscroft, T. (2025, June 5). Aesop arranges Madrid store around four rediscovered cast iron columns. Dezeen. https://www.dezeen.com/2025/06/05/madrid-aesop-store-las-salesas-ciszak-dalmas-matteo-ferrari/
39. Richards, G. (2011). Tourism, culture and authenticity: New directions in tourism cultural research. Tourism Recreation Research, 36(1), 55–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2011.11081314
40. Senderos, M., Sagarna, M., Otaduy, J. P., & Mora, F. (2025). Globalization and architecture: Urban homogenization and challenges for unprotected heritage. Buildings, 15(3), 497. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15030497
41. Sevin, H. E. (2020). Local identity and city branding: A comparative analysis of municipal strategies in Turkey. Cities, 96, 102–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.102412
42. Silva, V. (2023, July 26). Aesop store / Barozzi Veiga. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/1004543/aesop-store-barozzi-veiga
43. Smilansky, S. (2017). Experiential marketing: A practical guide to interactive brand experiences. Kogan Page Publishers.
44. Warnaby, G. (2009). Look up! Retailing, historic architecture and city centre distinctiveness. Cities, 26(5), 287–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2009.06.002
45. Westermann, A., Böckenholt, R., Ghorbani, M., & Messedat, J. (2024). Interior Architectural Branding–The implementation of the brand identity at the point of sale by means of interior design. Research Journal for Applied Management-Jg. 4(1), 65-88.
46. Wrigley, N., & Lambiri, D. (2021). High street performance and evolution: A brief guide to the evidence. Routledge.
47. Xu, Johnny (2018). Visual Merchandising on Belgrave Road. Loughborough University.
48. Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage.
49. Zukin, S. (2010). Naked city: The death and life of authentic urban places. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195382853.001.0001
50. Zukin, S., Kasinitz, P., & Chen, X. (2022). Global cities, local streets: Everyday diversity from New York to Shanghai. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003156015