FormRoom's Dreamlike Interiors for Milk Train: An Immersive Instagram Experience
Are you ready to step into an immersive world of ice cream and nostalgia? Below, we show you Milk Train's first permanent retail space in Covent Garden, designed by London-based studio FormRoom.
FormRoom, a design studio based in Shoreditch, London, created a striking ice cream store in Covent Garden that caters primarily to Instagram-savvy customers.
Milk Train, known for its unconventional ice cream offerings, had previously operated exclusively out of pop-up food venues, and this was their first permanent retail space.
FromRoom stated,
“We worked with the brand to strategise and evolve upon their four core pillars; Surreal, Timeless, British and Immersive.”
“A key aim was to create a space which matched the expectations set by Milk Train’s social footprint, the biggest challenge of which was therefore finding the balance between a timeless and immersive feel whilst also dripping with nostalgia.”
The team were tasked with designing a store that captured the playfully surreal nature of the Milk Train’s products and would be interchangeable across seasons.
The brand strategy and subsequent designs were inspired by the aesthetic of a classic British steam train, playing on the brand's name.
Customers were greeted by blackboards displaying the menu in white block lettering, resembling the typical split-flap display boards that show train departure times at a station.
Seating booths, numbered like train platforms, were completed in pale blue leather. The store's centrepiece was a sequence of arched frames running down the centre of the eating area, each topped with spherical pendant lamps.
Two-dimensional cloud shapes suspended from the ceiling mimic the steam emitted from a train's chimney.
Panels of frosted glass were installed at the store front’s facade, resembling foggy train windows, and a neon sign and prop suitcases complete the rear of the store.
The studio aimed to create an environment that was unique and interchangeable, allowing the brand interior to evolve as swiftly as Instagram trends do.
Their playful design captures the essence of Milk Train's brand providing an exciting and memorable customer experience, driving engagement and brand loyalty.
We look forward to seeing more inspiring retail spaces popping up soon.
Photography is by Paul Lewis.