FormRoom's Dreamlike Interiors for Milk Train: An Immersive Instagram Experience
Step into an immersive world of ice cream and nostalgia.
FormRoom, a design studio based in Shoreditch, London, created a striking ice cream store in Covent Garden that caters primarily to Gen Z customers.
Milk Train, known for its unconventional ice cream offerings, previously operated exclusively out of pop-up food venues. This was its first permanent retail space.
FromRoom stated,
“We worked with the brand to strategise and evolve upon their four core pillars; Surreal, Timeless, British and Immersive.”
“A key aim was to create a space which matched the expectations set by Milk Train’s social footprint, the biggest challenge of which was therefore finding the balance between a timeless and immersive feel whilst also dripping with nostalgia.”
Infusing Nostalgic Brand Elements
The brand strategy and subsequent retail design & fit-out are inspired by the aesthetic of a classic British steam train, playing on the brand's name.
Customers were greeted by blackboards displaying the menu in white block lettering, resembling the typical split-flap display boards that show train departure times at a station.
Seating booths, numbered like train platforms, were completed in pale blue leather. The store's centrepiece was a sequence of arched frames running down the centre of the eating area; each topped with spherical pendant lamps.
Strategic Design Elements Boost Engagement
The interior features arched frames with spherical pendant lamps and whimsical two-dimensional cloud shapes suspended from the ceiling, mimicking steam from a train’s chimney. Frosted glass panels and a neon sign complete the transformation, creating a dynamic space that evolves with Instagram trends, encouraging visitor interaction and fostering brand loyalty.
Two-dimensional cloud shapes suspended from the ceiling mimic the steam emitted from a train's chimney.
Panels of frosted glass resembling foggy train windows were installed on the storefront's facade, and a neon sign and prop suitcases complete the rear of the store.
The studio aimed to create an environment that was unique and interchangeable, allowing the brand interior to evolve as swiftly as Instagram trends do.
A Blueprint Innovative Retail Design & Fit-Out
FormRoom's design for Milk Train's Covent Garden store sets a new standard for retail design & fit-out. It merges playful design with strategic branding to create a memorable customer experience. This approach attracts attention and drives engagement, making it a landmark project in experiential retail design.
We look forward to seeing more inspiring retail spaces popping up soon.
Photography is by Paul Lewis.