TRUE BOTANICALS

Location
San Francisco, CA
Type
Commercial
Year
2018
Photography
Russell Abraham
Published
Architectural Digest Pro
True Botanicals, the California-born organic skin-care company, has opened its first-ever brick-and-mortar outpost, in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, with the help of designer Jeremiah Brent. The space, though, is anything but your average shop—evidence of the ever-growing expectation for brands to create thoughtful, offline experiences in their store locations.

“People need to walk in and feel like they’re intrinsically part of the brand”

“It was really an interesting experience, especially for a retail space,” Brent tells AD PRO. “I think anybody who’s doing retail, at this point, has to be experiential—people need to walk in and feel like they’re intrinsically part of the brand, and True Botanicals does a really good job with that.”
“The entire intention behind the brand is a holistic, California vibe, so I wanted to create a space that felt a greenhouse or an atrium.” To create that effect, Brent designed an opaque glass ceiling, lit from above with daylight, in the boutique’s entry. From the ceiling hang two chandeliers by Apparatus, below which sits an enormous center table. “It’s an antique worktable, older than I can even imagine. We tried to play with this juxtaposition between really refined elements and raw, rustic moments.”
One of the largest design elements is an imposing cabinet. “It’s from the 17th century. We found it in England and had it shipped over,” explains the Los Angeles–based designer. “It was perfect because it houses everything in a really unique way. I just put some antique mirror on the back— it makes a big statement when you walk in.”
Equally notable is the showroom’s antique marble sink set on a distressed wooden platform—another prized find that spent months on a ship making its way to San Francisco. “We found it in rural France and it took so long to get here, longer than I care to admit!” Brent had a custom slab made to go behind it as a backsplash, complete with two marble shelves.

“Everything is sophisticated, but nothing feels precious, which I think is very important in a space [like this],” says Brent. That includes the imagery on the walls, which came from the brand’s creative partners, Inez and Vinoodh. “They shot all the photography for the portrait wall, as well as the marketing images, and they’re going to change [the artwork] seasonally, or when they feel like changing the environment.”

“Their clients know the products, and I really wanted the space to feel special,” he continues. “It feels like a warm place where people can go and not want to leave.”

“Everything is sophisticated, but nothing feels precious.”

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