Cardboard interiors

The retail explosion and entry of myriad brands into the market has marked new heights of consumerism. With the exponential growth of the retail segment in recent years, retail spaces don’t bear any distinct identity or connect with the brand they offer. With an increased focus on climate change, and environment concerns running high, it is but natural that anything that is “green” stands out.

The beginning

The humble cardboard, typically used in packaging from heavy white goods being transported to electronic stores, packaging soft goods such as food items etc to a supermarket and even garments for international exports, now finds a completely new and innovative use at Rattrap in Bangalore, designed using cardboard as the essential building block. The idea may sound completely far-fetched, but it has taken shape very successfully.

Explains Anirudha Mukhedkar Founder & Managing Director, Restore Solutions, “When BLR Knits first briefed us, the mandate was to create a highly differentiated and extremely cost-effective space which was exciting and rare. Asking for a differentiated experience is something that is not common at all in our business.

When we looked at the product, we realised that we were sitting on a fabulous opportunity. While BLR Knits might not have had experience with retail, they certainly knew a lot about making world-class knits.  Not only was there a ridiculously high standard of quality, there was a refined sense of aesthetic.

A combination of their innate design ability and the fact that their greater focus had been towards exporting to European markets, essentially means a lot more understatement and a lot more style. So essentially, this formed the seed for the brand’s birth. We knew the brand we create together, must be “international” in its appeal. And with the price - quality equation they were offering, it would be the most “irresistible” fashion offering a consumer could ever find. So we built something that was understated yet provocative.”

The response to the concept has been excellent with significant success in lending the brand an international persona. Cardboard has inside and outside layers of flat sheets that can resist puncture up to a certain point. The central layer is made from fluted, short fibre paper that not only provides cushioning, but can also resist a certain amount of crushing force.

This should also put to rest any doubts concerning its stability. “As a material, it is essentially a composite of paper and corrugated board layered together. The number of layers used determines the strength of the material. We used seven layers or seven ply cardboard, which was optimum in terms of strength and flexibility that we needed.”

He adds, “All the cardboard units have been placed on pallets that help protect the material from water. “As far as strength and longevity are concerned, cardboard is an extremely strong material. Cardboard is a generic term for a heavy-duty paper based product. It is formed with sheets of unbleached craft paper that are pleated and bonded with wood pulp and adhesives to form a strong structure,” explains Mukhedkar.

The best part is that cardboard is environmentally friendly because it is made from natural substances, is recyclable and biodegradable and does not harm the environment. Remember, heavy-duty consumer durables like television and even refrigerators are transported and delivered in cardboard boxes meaning they can take a lot of wear and tear.

Looking beyond

Also, it is not just the cardboard but the entire experience inside the store that makes Rattrap distinctive. Numerous quirky elements have been created in the store that add layers of meaning to the brand and create multiple points of engagement with the space.

The torchlight chandeliers, wire mannequins that were custom designed, twisted hangers, rope ladder, a large Rattrap as the perpendicular signage and numerous little details come together to add magic to the space. As far as the costing is concerned, this is about 40 per cent lower in costs in comparison with a
standard approach.

“When we started, we knew that we had a strong differentiating proposition. We believed that designing retail spaces was about bringing the brand to life. We believed that a retail environment must reflect the brands’ core beliefs, values and personality.

“So we see Rattrap as a stellar illustration of what Restore has held to be true since 2006. More than a turning point, it is a vindication of our belief that spaces must talk in the language of the brand,” concludes Mukhedkar. Well that’s one for the environment that also appeals to your sense of aesthetics. A rare combination that is sure to alter several design mindsets.