PROJECT BACKGROUND
For more than two decades Fourth Floor has been doing things differently – cutting and colouring hair with maximum application and minimal fuss from its bright, split-level salon atop a 1930s industrial building in the heart of Clerkenwell. Accessed via a goods lift, it has remained firmly below the radar while attracting a fiercely loyal clientele and whilst many come from the arts, media, design and the creative industries all share with Fourth Floor an independence of thought and outlook. Its recent twentieth anniversary was marked by the publication of a clothbound book (click here to see the feature) featuring interviews, designs and recipes from clients including Jon Snow, Tom Dixon and Nigel Slater.
Now Fourth Floor is venturing into new territory. From the beginning of November to the end of December 2012, its upper floor — the fourth, in fact — will play host to the Fourth Floor Corner Shop, an emporium showcasing a selection of covetable wares from local businesses and designers based in Clerkenwell and Bloomsbury, who share Fourth Floor’s independent, idiosyncratic ethos. Clients will be free
to browse the concessions, pre- or post-appointment, while casual visitors will also be welcome to experience this unique retail environment. “It gives people a chance to see what we’re about, while also offering a showcase for our friends and neighbours,” says Fourth Floor owner Richard Stepney.
to browse the concessions, pre- or post-appointment, while casual visitors will also be welcome to experience this unique retail environment. “It gives people a chance to see what we’re about, while also offering a showcase for our friends and neighbours,” says Fourth Floor owner Richard Stepney.
DESIGN NOTES
The ’4′ graphic was intended to inherit some of the DNA of the striped identity of the Fourth Floor packaging that North created some years ago. The Corner Shop logotype is loosely based on Skyline Black (designed by Imre Reiner C.1927) but has been completely redrawn.
