The timeline was remarkably ambitious—just eight months separated the initial concept from opening day. When a retail space adjacent to the existing Babor shop became available in Hamburg's landmark Kaisergalerie, right in the city centre, the Aachen-based beauty brand saw its opportunity to launch a flagship destination. To minimize disruption to loyal customers, the Düsseldorf studio engels architektur compressed the typical design and construction schedule, developing the shop concept and renovation strategy in parallel. By May 2020, even as lockdowns took hold, the transformation was complete. Babor's new face is youthful, contemporary, and effortlessly sophisticated.

The flagship store unfolds across distinct zones, each with its own character. Upon entry, customers encounter the brand's product universe in a sleek, deliberately industrial environment—reinforced by a crisp black-and-white palette and precisely arranged displays punctuated with brass accents. Moving deeper into the store, the energy shifts. Here, a make-up bar and treatment rooms welcome visitors into a warmer, more intimate setting. Black, rose, and soft grey form the foundation of this inner sanctum, with brass details echoing the entrance's refined language. In the treatment rooms especially, blush-toned velvet curtains provide a striking contrast to minimalist black cabinetry, while thoughtfully layered lighting fosters an inviting calm. One treatment room features curved glazing that opens to the shop floor—a deliberate choice allowing treatments to be demonstrated during seminars and events. When needed, a matching velvet curtain simply closes the space, restoring privacy. That same velvet motif reappears in the corridor leading to the treatment areas, this time as wallpaper from Italian heritage manufacturer Glamora, creating visual continuity. Premium materials tell the story of product excellence: marbled white Corian surfaces grace the sales and checkout counters. Overhead, open black-lacquered ceilings with restrained lighting reinforce the brand's modern, cool aesthetic.

www.engels-architektur.de

Photography Credits:

Babor

(Published in CUBE Hamburg 02|23)