Purr Inglewood

Purr Clothing has been a family-owned and operated Calgary institution since 1999, offering stylish, trendy and affordable clothing, jewelry and accessories with a European sensibility. With these aesthetics in mind, we set out to design a fresh, contemporary space that complements and enhances the character of their Inglewood shop’s traditional early 1900s architecture.

Incorporating detail through material exploration was imperative as we sought to marry old and new in a way that felt nuanced and textural. Materials like vintage hand-hammered chickenwire glass add depth and let light flow through the changerooms, while custom-welded clothing displays create strong visual lines throughout the store and open up the floor’s retail space. For these pieces, we borrowed inspiration from the owner’s interest in comic books to play with proportion –  juxtaposing thin and thick lines throughout the welded racking.

Many of our design decisions centred around art placement and installations. We designed the front cash display with Marigold Santos’ paintings as the primary focal point, using marble, white ash countertops, and whitewashed pine walls to mimic the textures and linework seen in the artwork. A deconstructed loom sits over the denim display, designed and built by us as a nod to the history of the textile industry, which is also referenced through the indigo-dyed wood in this piece, as well as the front counter.

Purr Inglewood

Purr Clothing has been a family-owned and operated Calgary institution since 1999, offering stylish, trendy and affordable clothing, jewelry and accessories with a European sensibility. With these aesthetics in mind, we set out to design a fresh, contemporary space that complements and enhances the character of their Inglewood shop’s traditional early 1900s architecture.

Incorporating detail through material exploration was imperative as we sought to marry old and new in a way that felt nuanced and textural. Materials like vintage hand-hammered chickenwire glass add depth and let light flow through the changerooms, while custom-welded clothing displays create strong visual lines throughout the store and open up the floor’s retail space. For these pieces, we borrowed inspiration from the owner’s interest in comic books to play with proportion –  juxtaposing thin and thick lines throughout the welded racking.

Many of our design decisions centred around art placement and installations. We designed the front cash display with Marigold Santos’ paintings as the primary focal point, using marble, white ash countertops, and whitewashed pine walls to mimic the textures and linework seen in the artwork. A deconstructed loom sits over the denim display, designed and built by us as a nod to the history of the textile industry, which is also referenced through the indigo-dyed wood in this piece, as well as the front counter.