Dezeen Magazine

Cover Story Amsterdam concept store

Linda Bergroth designs "user-centric" Cover Story paint shop in Amsterdam

Interior designer Linda Bergroth has added colourful beams to the Amsterdam concept store for plastic-free paint brand Cover Story, which was designed to streamline the redecorating process for shoppers.

The "paint studio" is the second iteration of Cover Story outlets designed by Bergroth, who also created the interiors for the Finnish brand's flagship Helsinki store.

Oversized colourful beams within an Amsterdam paint shop
The Cover Story shop in Amsterdam features oversized colourful beams

Shortlisted in the small retail interiors category of this year's Dezeen Awards, the paint shop features oversized colourful beams. These were informed by cranes in the port city, as well as the decorative vignettes that top many of Amsterdam buildings' facades, according to the brand.

"The design playfully explores the use of colour, incorporating three-dimensionality through roof bars and considering how light interacts with colour to influence perception," said Cover Story.

The facade of the Cover Story paint shop in Amsterdam
Linda Bergroth designed the interior

Following a similar format to the Helsinki outlet, the Amsterdam shop also serves as a showroom, office and events space, despite its small size.

A large colour chart made from hand-painted swatches in 47 different shades, designed to make choosing colours easier for customers, was attached to the wall.

Colourful blocks on a silvery table
Colourfully painted blocks and plinths were incorporated to show how light responds to each Cover Story shade

Chunky painted plinths were positioned in the shop window, as well as smaller colourful blocks on a central silvery table, to emphasise the different ways in which light and shadow respond to various paint options.

Cover Story explained that Bergroth chose to highlight the old building's "unique characteristics", rather than introduce new furniture, including its sloping walls and the metal supports that adorn its structural pillars.

"Despite the significant influence that wall colour holds in shaping the atmosphere of a room and influencing interior design, paint is often perceived merely as a renovation accessory," said the brand.

"Cover Story's mission is to position paint as a design product, which is why the Amsterdam paint studio is strategically located on a bustling shopping street alongside other concept stores where interior design products are sold," it added.

"Every aspect is thoughtfully crafted to promote a sustainable and user-centric experience."

Colourful beams
The beams were informed by Amsterdam's architecture

Founded in 2020 by Anssi Jokinen and Tommi Saarnio, the brand produces 100 per cent plastic-free paint, which is also odourless.

Finnish designer Bergroth has completed a number of colour-infused projects including Durat's Helsinki showroom and a blue pop-up restaurant in New York built from recycled food packaging.

The photography is by Paavo Lehtonen

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