Conveying the concept of a perfume

Stepping inside the La Nicchia perfumery in central Legnano is an invitation into the world of perfume, explains architect Nicola Ghilardi who designed the interior of the store. The perfumery, which is housed in a newly constructed building, specialises in sophisticated niche fragrances produced by small perfume houses rather than major international brands. “A project must embody an idea. For me, designing means getting to the heart of an idea, in this case perfume,” explains Ghilardi, summarising the vision of the Legnano-based architectural firm, “which started out in the segment of public retail premises but has recently been primarily involved in housing projects in Albania”. Perfume is a difficult concept to express because it has no form; we detect its pleasant aroma but cannot see it. The La Nicchia project aims for a kind of synaesthetic “olfactory vision” in which the content models its container. “Our idea was to try to represent perfume, a product that has always been associated with pleasant memories that have crystallised over time, to attempt to give it a form,” continues the architect, who used a variety of solutions to translate this inspiration into a simple and elegant interior design project. First, he used the matt black open metal cubes scattered throughout the store to physically represent the molecules that make up the perfume’s chemical composition. Second, he came up with the idea of replicating the sensation of a vaporised puff of perfume by using ceramic tiles on the floor and walls of the store, which created a shiny box with a warm, wraparound effect reminiscent of the olfactory sensation. The lightweight cubes, like “perfume particles”, serve as display units with adjustable glass shelves for bottles, vials and diffusers, creating a display area organised as a play of volumes that appears to flow from the floor upwards. Instead, when placed on the low cabinets that extend around the perimeter of the store, the same structures are transformed into display cases for new products. A small sofa gives a warm, welcoming touch to the reception area facing the entrance while the store windows capture the gaze of passers-by and offer a foretaste of the visual effect of the interior. Spatial perception is an important design element given the perfume store’s relatively small floor space of just under 80 square metres.

An angled mirror surface creates a play of reflections that brings an added sense of depth to the perspective. The architectural envelope also exploits the multiplicative power of reflection, reproducing the ethereal transparency of perfume and its nebulous effect through the choice of beige coloured porcelain tiles with a lapped surface and translucent onyx look from Ceramica Rondine. The continuity of the surfaces is interrupted by mirrored steel LED light profiles which delimit the volume at both ceiling and floor level, while tiny spotlights provide accent lighting for products. In 2022, the La Nicchia project won the commercial category of the “Ceramics and Design” architecture competition.