chunks of quarry stones by mesura greet customers inside barcelona's aesop diagonal store

inside the Aesop Avinguda Diagonal store by mesura

In 2022, Aesop invited Spanish studio Mesura to help design their second store in at Avinguda Diagonal in Barcelona. After eight months of delays and an eventual shutdown at another location, the team decided to relocate to this new space, where the studio began developing an retail experience transcending mere beauty, resonating with the public through meaningful design. The brand’s goals included creating a social, timeless, and local atmosphere, to which we added a commitment to sustainability. The result is an unusual display of quarry stones throughout the store, hinting at archaic aesthetics.

images © Maxime Delvaux, Mesura | courtesy the studio and Aesop

flipping the design process with creative anastylosis

While working on the Avinguda Diagonal store for Aesop, the team at Mesura developed a peculiar term: Creative anastylosis. Anastylosis describes the architectural conservation of ancient monuments by reassembling their original pieces as precisely as possible. By adding to it the word ‘creative’, the purpose becomes not to reconstruct but to craft a new structure from discarded stone. The conventional design process was therefore flipped on its head; instead of beginning with a concept and bringing it to life, Mesura began with the materials and reimagined their potential. ‘To create a social atmosphere, we delved into the history of Barcelona’s public fountains. For timelessness, we revisited our material research, concluding that stone was the most suitable option due to its unparalleled resistance and durability,’ shares Mesura.

Aesop Avinguda Diagonal opened in Barcelona

reusing Montjuïc quarry stones for the barcelona store

Having come to this conclusion, the studio sought to reuse local materials by partnering with the Barbany family, master stonemasons with over 130 years of experience working on Barcelona’s buildings and monuments. Many of these structures were made of Montjuïc stone, known for its strength and exquisite coloring, which was quarried from a nearby mountain until the twentieth century. Luckily, the Barbany artisans had been storing remnants of this rock from demolished nineteenth-century buildings in a defunct quarry for many years. In the process, Mesura conducted a pseudo-archaeological dig, uncovering pieces from Gothic quarter buildings, ancient fountains, arcades, and plinths beneath wild vegetation. Seventy-eight of these fragments were carefully cataloged and assembled to create the installation at Aesop Diagonal.

Mesurare used Montjuïc quarry stones inside the store

creamy and textured installation for aesop diagonal

Stepping inside, visitors are greeted by the creamy, sedimentary Montjuïc stone, showcasing Aesop’s unconventional formulations. Textured stucco walls complement the stone’s warmth, while stainless steel shelves, taps, and fixtures add a cool, precise touch. At the basins, designed by Mesura as wells carved into the Montjuïc stone, customers can explore formulations tailored to their needs. Deeper in the store, a large custom-made sofa mimics the stacking of uncarved boulders, offering a soft surface for customers to relax and reflect on the balance of density and delicacy, memory and futurity, embodied in the space.

visitors are greeted by the creamy, sedimentary Montjuïc stone, showcasing Aesop’s unconventional formulations

textured stucco walls complement the stone’s warmth

the basins are designed by Mesura as wells carved into the Montjuïc stone

for Aesop Diagonal, Mesura partnered with the Barbany family, known stonemasons

entrance view to the store

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project info:

name: Aesop Diagonal | @aesopskincare

location: Avinguda Diagonal 594, Barcelona

design: Mesura | @mesura.eu