Aesop Oakbrook Center celebrates the revolutionary use of terracotta in Chicago’s architectural history. After the Great Fire of 1871, which destroyed many of the city’s timber structures, the fire-resistant, lightweight and mouldable material was used as cladding for the innovative steel-frame construction of high-rise buildings that were characteristic of the Chicago School. This legacy, as well as elements of contemporary construction, inspired our in-house design department in their pared back approach.
Embracing the modernist attitude of eschewing ornamentation, materials speak for themselves in this store. The ribbed clay tiles of the façade, with their play of texture and shadow, highlight the natural warmth of terracotta. Modular bricks are featured throughout the space, their cylindrical perforations—which increase fire resistance, thermal and acoustic insulation—exposed and admired rather than hidden by mortar. Visitors are invited to perch atop stools that are frosted in plaster pulp, reminiscent of spray-on fireproofing used in present-day building practice.