DIPLOMATIC MADRID: A TRIP THROUGH THE LIMESTONE THEATER.

An introduction of the Diplomatic store in Madrid and how the geometric expressiveness creates a theatrical experience

While walking along the shopping center in Moraleja Green, the front display of the Diplomatic invites you in with its simple minimalistic design that highly contrasts the surrounding stores.The shoe store is known for providing for their clients more than just a transaction, but rather a space that offers care and a comfortable design. Upon entering the shop, you can feel the impact that the limestone has on the interior of the store from floor to ceiling, creating a seamless design that sort of makes you feel smaller. However, as a client my eyes immediately went to the new collection of shoes displayed on the big stone cubes near the window presented as art pieces that first should be admired and then touched.

The atmosphere created from the strong sun outside and the absorbing limestone interior makes you feel relaxed and safe from the outside temperatures. The whole store is designed into two separate spaces that follow each other linearly by offering the client the spacious variation in the 60 square meter. The front part of the store is designed to attract the customer to enter and to be curious about the shoes displayed. Furthermore, into the second space of the store, the client is introduced to a stone theatrical dome that offers the clients the full 360 degrees view of merchandise in the shelfs. In this room the usual rectangular shape of the store transforms in a circular interior presenting not only the geometric contrast but it also emphasizes the products on display in a relaxed ambience.

Title

DIPLOMATIC STORE BY ESTUDIO DIIR

Floor Plan

Architects

David Meana, Ignacio Navarro, Iñigo Palazón and Ricardo Fernández,

From the floor plan given by the architect, the shape of the store looks familiar to a theater room that has the main focus on the circular dome The “main stage” of the store could also be seen as a vocal point for the clients, by making them the main ‘actors’ This design further deepens on the importance that the clients have for Diplomatics The materiality chosen for the shop design is the Campaspero limestone combined with various mortar coatings The calcium carbonate limestone on the interior of the Diplomatic is used to present a natural atmosphere in the shop and the selection to use only one type of limestone also creates the feeling of being in a fancy “cave” That has created a neutral relaxing environment as well as it has given a sense of luxury The color palette throughout the store is rather mutually exclusive with white and yellowish tones that are selected to emphasize the colors and the different models of the shoes in exhibition Talking more about the limestone as a material,it is a wise selection to be on the interior of a shop as it is a light stone that can be assembled quickly and easily without creating problems or design ‘blocks’ The stone is commonly composed of shell fragments or tiny pieces of fossils which depending on the type of stone slab can be usually visible to the unaided eye while some others have the texture of fine grain As a stone, limestone is not a highly durable material and it might even look a bit fragile considering its texture In addition, limestone is a delicate material when it comes to weather conditions and stains as it is prone to scratching or leaving stains Considering this, the employees of the Diplomatic should be careful when maintaining the stones in the store and not use chemicals to damage or stain the limestone

On the other hand, as a constructive material, limestone is a cheaper solution compared to sandstone or marble and it still offers the presence of the natural stone Nevertheless, the elegance of the limestone and the softness to create something unique out of a piece of stone, makes the material be highly constructive The campaspero limestone is a stone found and produced in Spain, making the Diplomatic shoe store be quite sustainable in terms of materiality and transportation

The whole shop interior is designed to counter balanced geometric expressiveness between the rectangular shape building and the circular design One of the architects, Inigo Palozon del Pin(2), described the store by saying-”We are inspired by the space that through very geometric gestures are able to leave a mark Each gesture is designed with the sole purpose of generating surprises or something unexpected In this way, we provide alterations in the guests' feelings and make them be captivated by the space ” By his words, we can further understand the effects that they wanted to create throughout the store with the surprise element

Analyzing the interior design of the Diplomatic by ESTUDIO DIIR, an outsider or client would be intruded to enter and experience the theatrical limestone dome The play of soft geometric shapes that contrast the usage of natural stone give the shop a expressiveness counterbalanced in calm tones by emphasizing the importance of the merchandise On the other hand, considering the color palette and the model of the shoe brand, the store design should also have expressed more contrast or create differentiation in the color tone To conclude, the Diplomatic store designed by the architects of the ESTUDIO is a minimalistic design that has created the stage to display the products as the main "showstopper".