The Curious Cauldron
Located in Fort Myers Florida at the Edison Mall this store will peak your curiosity. Let us introduce you to the design process. This project required more than just my lighting expertise, it required an eye for scenic design and clientele/customer experience. Unlike theatrical performances where the audience will be there once or twice, the store is open 7 days a week within a mall. Talk about a lot of foot traffic. Keeping this in mind was crucial to make sure the space was comfortable and inviting. Take a look and I will explain as you go along.
The Before: A white shell with slat walls on the right side (stage directions), existing track lighting that were reutilized and upgraded; even two fans, one later removed for a custom light installation. The shelving units seen above had empty light boxes perfect for accent lighting, but they needed help to make them store ready.
The Design: The client wanted a look that would set her store apart from the rest of the mall residents. We chose to keep away from the fluorescent fixtures and instead reutilize the existing lighting tracks as well as install custom lighting into the shelving unit light boxes, cabinets and glass cases. To further the design we took inspiration from bare antique bulb fixtures and created a "spider light" in the center of the main space.
The shelving unit restoration included custom facing integrating the store logo and gothic inspired arches. The light boxes are RGB+CCT LED strips which bathe the store in any color chosen.
For the healing/reading room the client wanted to be able to control the lighting color to aid in healing sessions. The case in the corner was once just a fluorescent sunglass case that I retrofitted using the same RGB+CCT LEDs giving the room a unique fill of any chosen color.
The Implementation: Here you see the custom facing come together one sheet at a time. Once painted it was time to install and see how it looked with the lighting.
The Curious Cauldron: Now you can see all the work that has taken place. Take a look & thanks for exploring this project.
A Special Thanks to all those who helped make this project come together:
The Curious Cauldron (Maria Solana Owner) - For the project opportunity
Christianne Bakewell - Interior Design & Organization
Samantha Taylor - Custom Counter Top Install
Signsexperts - Custom storefront signage
The loyal patrons that make a store like this exist