IDM Decoded: Episode 6

What worked and why, and how good retail design has very little to do with decoration

One of the reasons retail challenges are traditionally among the hardest on Interior Design Masters is because they require designers to think differently. A home exists to support the people who live there. A shop exists to support the many different people who could be invited to visit it. That sounds obvious, but it changes everything.

Suddenly you’re not simply considering colour palettes and furniture layouts. You’re thinking about kerb appeal, customer flow, merchandising, product display, dwell time, storytelling and sales. You have to understand the owner’s vision, the practical demands of the stock and the experience of the customer all at once. And perhaps most importantly, you have to create a space people want to enter, stay in and spend money in.

This week our designers were sent to Hay-on-Wye to transform two very different independent businesses. One was Oil & Oak, a gift shop selling a wonderfully eclectic mix of products (Designed by Sophie and Lia). The other was Wye Fret, a specialist guitar shop serving musicians and collectors (designed by Duran and Emmely). Both teams dramatically improved their spaces (this was the Quarter Final so standards were arguably very high). But only one truly rethought them. And sadly, this is a competition so one person had to go however well they all did.

Design Begins With Organisation

One of the biggest misconceptions about design is that it starts with decoration. It doesn’t. Ever! It starts with organisation. But most especially when it comes to shops. The strongest retail environments understand that every object needs a reason to be there. Products need hierarchy. Customers need orientation. The eye needs somewhere to land. Before the redesign, Oil & Oak felt charming but visually overwhelming. There was plenty to discover, but very little guidance on where to look first.

One of the biggest growth points for me was when Lia elected to remove her carefully constructed chandelier because it wasn’t appropriate. Up until now we’d seen her shoehorn her signature love of flowers into every scheme regardless. This is a huge jump from realising that design isn’t all about only what you like, it’s about what works for the space.

What impressed me most about the winning team was that they didn’t simply add new finishes or new furniture, instead they fundamentally reconsidered how the stock should be displayed. The upgraded card displays are a perfect example. Replacing standard plastic carousel stands with wall-mounted displays immediately elevated what could have been a mundane retail necessity into an intrinsic part of the shop itself. Suddenly the cards became a feature rather than clutter.

Throughout the shop there was the same approach. Shelving felt more intentional. Displays were easier to read and product groupings were labelled. The result wasn’t less character; it was less chaos. They brought clarity to complexity, which made shopping there feel more enjoyable. You were invited to browse, and tempted to shop. And let’s face it, there’s never anything in a gift shop that you need, it’s all about making you want things you don’t need!

Lia and Sophie had a huge amount of stock to reorganise and arrange which they did through design and layout as well as decoration.

Decoration Solves Problems. Design Asks Better Questions

The guitar shop presented a very different challenge. In many ways the transformation was equally remarkable. The team delivered a dramatic visual improvement and clearly worked incredibly hard. But as my guest judge, retail expert Ross Bailey, and I walked around the finished space, we found ourselves asking a different question. Who is this shop really for?

The designers had listened carefully to the owner. They painted the walls the colour he liked. They created the sound booth he requested. They built the stage he wanted for in-store jam sessions. They carefully reorganised accessories behind the counter using the existing hanging system. They added some explanatory signage for different instruments. They effectively worked through his wish list. And that is often exactly what a good contractor does.

But design requires another step. It asks not only what the client wants, but what they maybe don’t know they need. The opportunity here, the missing piece, was to create a story, not just a space. Because while the oversized guitar in the window was brilliant (it immediately grabbed attention and gave passers-by a reason to stop), once inside, the narrative became less clear. I didn't really learn anything about guitars, or the owner. And that was a shame because he had a genuinely fascinating story to tell.

Bottom line, the strongest independent bricks and mortar retailers don’t just sell products, they sell expertise, passion, community and identity. What cannot be bought online is the feeling of entering a world curated by someone who lives and breathes music. That’s where we wanted more. More reasons for someone with only a passing interest in guitars to feel curious enough to stay

Wye Fret, re-decorated by Duran and Emmely

Design For The Customer You Don’t Yet Have

Perhaps the most interesting question raised by this challenge is whether a specialist shop should appeal only to enthusiasts. After all, a guitar shop exists for guitar players. Or does it? The best retail spaces often attract people beyond their immediate customer base. Bookshops attract people who aren’t looking for a particular book. Florists can attract people who weren’t planning to buy flowers. And the strongest specialist stores create enough intrigue that even people with little prior interest feel compelled to step inside.

It's all about the details.

The gift shop achieved this beautifully. You didn’t need to know what you wanted before entering. The space encouraged curiosity. And that’s ultimately what good retail design is always trying to do.