Over the Counter

 

Beirut, 2007

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Over The Counter is a space in central Beirut dedicated to design accessories and furniture.

Both the location and the setup of this space were important factors in determining the choice of the space’s name as well as the way it was structured.

Over the Counter was to be located inside an already existing vintners and off-license.

The task of the project was to integrate a design store with a wine shop in a way that both enterprises could work while sharing the same space.

The vintner, which is called Le Comptoir (or The Counter in French), inspired a desire for an English name for our design store. Over the Counter fulfilled that desire and also explained the physical position of the design store on top of the vintners.

Taking the name as the starting point, the project developed naturally.

The ground floor of the space was divided lengthwise; the left-hand side dedicated to wines and the right-hand side to design items.

The first floor was dedicated to design while the basement became host to a wine cave and tasting room.

The store sign was then completely redesigned to integrate the two different entities in a way that neither over shadowed the other.

The selection of brands was carried out by our Studio and included names such as Tom Dixon, Droog Design, Nason&Moretti, Bosa, Carl Hansen, Artek, Dovetusai, Danese. Our choiceswere based on numerous criteria, amongst which were whether objects were handmade, innovatively designed, traditional or historic icons.  

Photo credit: Nadim Asfar