Create & Wild is a local florist in East Sheen, run by a hugely talented and creative girl boss who’s style I’ve admired for years. Selin opened her shop a few years ago on Sheen Lane in SW14, but earlier this year moved just around the corner to share the back half of antiques shop Hayles. While the original premises was a traditional shop space, the new place has a different vibe. It’s technically a garage, with concrete floors, a corrugated metal roof and exposed timber beams. The rustic features needed a refresh, and Selin already had a clear vision for the space. She brought Emmerson & Fifteenth on board to help with commercial retail spatial design and interior layout planning.
The Brief
Selin wanted to reuse as many of her existing shop fixtures and fittings as possible, while also creating a fresh space that embraced the industrial vibe of the new premises. She knew what she wanted, and had already started sourcing new pieces, but wasn’t sure on sizes or exactly what would fit.
The new shop needed to pack a lot in, including:
- Retail display space for flowers, plants, greetings cards, textiles and homewares
- Two wet work areas with a sink for arranging florals
- A dry workspace for doing admin
- A sink area that could be hidden
- A space to run workshops
Before
When I first saw the new space, the antique shop was still using it for storage. It was unfinished and packed to the rafters. (Pics below taken after they’d already cleared a lot out!)
Part of it space needed to stay as storage for the antique shop. So we reworked the existing layout to retain some of the storage, but also create a functional retail and work space for Create & Wild.
Florist & Retail Space | Spatial Design Plan
The spatial design plan made the most of every centimeter of the new commercial interior. We checked off every requirement on the list.
Hidden behind a curtain, the existing storage shelves now occupy the back corner of the space. The rest of the space belongs to the florist. There were a few tweaks between planning and execution, but everything’s in there.
Create & Wild Florist | New Shop Reveal
Selin and her team did an amazing job executing the design. Embracing the existing features but giving everything a fresh lick of paint, the new space is stunning, with industrial charm that sits so nicely against the beautiful flowers and homewares in the shop.
The till sits on a marble counter from the old shop, on top of a new base clad in simple but pretty wooden paneling. Behind this wall is the storage area, and to the right a pretty little nook with plant pots, dried florals, and textile display.
Simple linen curtains hide the entrance to the storage area. The faux cherry blossom tree was also repurposed from the original shop.
A large rustic table allows for retail display, but also functions as a space for workshops.
Shelves from the original retail space have been trimmed to fit the new spatial design, and benches below display more pretty things.
Creating a U-shaped work area means we could allow for two new wet spaces, where there was previously only room for one. Which means Selin’s Mum gets roped in to arrange flowers more often… and reluctantly model for my shoot!
If you’re local to the Sheen / Mortlake / Barnes / Richmond / Kew area, and you haven’t already discovered Create & Wild, you can find them at 65A Sheen Lane, SW14 8AB. Their gorgeous florals and homewares are also online, and Selin’s insta is definitely worth a follow too!
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