Sequin-covered jackets and platform boots, incredible glasses and colored wigs, vintage furnishings and a grand piano: welcome to the world of Elton John. Entering into one of the stores dedicated to him, it is almost impossible to not start singing – at least in one’s head – Crocodile Rock, I’m Still Standing, or another of the British musician’s songs that defined an era. It would be impossible to forget John’s philanthropy work, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation and his support for the young talents of the Royal Academy of Music of London, where he himself was trained thanks to a scholarship received at age eleven. There is all this in the four temporary Elton John Pops Up! stores, designed and realized in three different countries in the span of a few weeks, to accompany the final tour of the singer, “Farewell Yellow Brick Road”, captivating fans in the Rocket Man universe.
In October 1973, Elton John, at the time Reginald Kenneth Dwight, published what is considered to be his best album: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Fifty years later in 2023, he concludes his farewell tour, whose title recalls that album containing his biggest hits. To coincide with the event, which will include hundreds of stops all over the world, the artist thought to create pop-up stores. To realize this project, Rocket Entertainment and the Elton John Optical Company assembled a multidisciplinary team capable of managing every aspect of the initiative, from the interior design to the construction phase, from merchandising to marketing. Four stores have opened so far: in Dublin, in Soho (in the West End of London), inside Bicester Village in Oxfordshire, and in Ingolstadt, the German city on the banks of the Danube. Items for sale include t-shirts, hats, bags, and other accessories that are usually offered at concerts, but also more sought-after objects like silk scarves and cashmere blankets. Store visitors are also given the possibility to try their hand at playing the piano, take a photo in front of mirrors decorated with playful designs, or play a videogame, for an experience that unites past, present and future.
The concept behind all the stores, which is expressed in a specific way each time, was thought out by the Californian firm LINE Architecture, led by Nicolò Bini, together with Floating Eggs for the marketing and promotional side. The fit out combines catalogue furnishings and vintage pieces, like a 1960s mobile TV or a jukebox, with custom made elements, like the eyeglass display, inspired by those usually used for bowties or belts, and the cash register, carved out from inside a concert trunk. There are also a series of memorabilia chosen from Elton John’s warehouse outside of London, which includes vinyl discs, signed posters, and extravagant outfits worn by the musician over the course of his career, custom-made for him by stylists and designers – like the eyeglasses, wigs, shirts and capes that were made each time in assorted dozens.
Wood paneling in the shade of yellow – recalling the title of the tour – and the colorful striped wallpaper, together with the plank parquet flooring, help define a typically English environment to represent a culture which boasts Elton John, awarded the title of Sir by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to music and charity, as a symbol. LED signs, spotlights, mannequins and wall posters recreate the backstage environment of a concert, while the relaxation areas are equipped with quilted furnishings and gaudy carpets to invite people to relax and chat, with the notes of Your Song in the background.
The fit out combines catalogue furnishings and vintage pieces, like a 1960s mobile TV or a jukebox, with custom made elements and the cash register, carved out from inside a concert trunk.
Locations: Dublin, Ireland and London, UK
Client and Main Contractor: EJOC (Elton John Optical Company)
Completion: 2023
Gross Floor Area: from 140 to 220 m2
Architect and Interior Designer: Line Architecture
All photos courtesy of Line Architecture
THE PLAN Interior Design & Contract 7 is the seventh supplement that THE PLAN has dedicated to these areas of architecture. The publication, to be released in September 2023 as a supplement to THE PLAN 148, looks at around twenty of the most importan... Read More
The future of retail after the pandemic: from shopping to experience
Lyndon Neri&Rossana Hu | Fabio Fantolino | FUD | Lombardini22 | Wall Corporation/Selim Senin
Perhaps more than any other area of architecture, designing boutiques demands reconciling two potentially conflicting needs: quality finishes and tigh...Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center: Transforming a lobby with Krion®
Porcelanosa Grupo | Krueck + Sexton Architects
Manufactured by the Porcelanosa Group, Krion® is a mineral-based solid surface. The material was recently used to transform the lobby of one of the m...Il Barbiere
ACS ARCHITECTURE LAB
...