The original space was an old, dark, run down mechanic’s workshop complete with concrete floors and corrugated tin roof. The vision was to create an inviting, beautiful, flexible, and functional space to house Mildred & Co – a gift showroom and wedding registry focused on unique, modern, and designer based gifts. The Mildred & Co building also needed to function as a space for parties, events, and product launches whilst reinforcing the brand they were creating.

The Project
Award winning architect Jose Gutierrez, in collaboration with owner Milly Nolan, drew up a design centred around unexpectedness – maintaining the solid, industrial building façade, but opening out to a spacious, open-plan, high-end area once inside.

The project was based around the aspects of dual-functionality, scale, proportion, reflection, light, warmth, and acoustics. To ensure that the showroom was comfortable year round – day and night – with building materials such as concrete, glass, and lacquer; the team looked for an acoustic insulation solution. Having worked with the Autex team since 2010, Jose knew where to look for that solution.

The requirements for the project were as follows; to provide insulation for warmth, to provide acoustic properties to minimise sound reverberation, and to provide an aesthetically pleasing look that would add to, not detract from, the other design features.

GreenStuf Autex Acoustic Blankets (AAB) in black provided insulation for warmth and acoustic properties to absorb sound reverberation. Being affixed with white battens allowed for the product to be installed as a design feature, keeping a clean image. According to ArchDaily, ‘The timber battens in the ceiling service to hold up acoustic insulation, filter natural light and also create a pattern that gives the space a more human scale. They mimic the negative and positive undulations in the old corrugated iron roof’.

The Outcome
According to architect Jose Gutierrez, ‘(There was a) huge difference in sound, enabling (Mildred & Co.) to have high gloss concrete floors, glass windows, and lacquered cabinetry, (there are) no worries about ‘hard’ surfaces affecting reverberation’.

‘[My] Account Manager was able to provide expert advice and consultation helping to complement the initial building design. The black of the GreenStuf AAB disappears into the look of the architecture and helps keeping it simple and clean’, Jose said.

The final result was so impressive, it was nominated for a 2014 Interior Award in the Retail category.

Architect - Jose Gutierrez
Installer - Nomadtika
Photography - Jeremy Toth
Featured Products - GreenStuf® Autex Acoustic Blanket (AAB)