Australian skincare retailer Aesop uses untreated oak interiors to channel minimalistic sophistication at its new Hamburg store.

Located on the ground floor of a 19th century building, one of the latest branches of Australian skincare retailer and brand Aesop is in the centre of Hamburg.

Designed by Antwerp-based consultants Vincent van Duysen, the store covers 1,200 sq ft and has as its big feature a sink.

There are in fact sinks in every Aesop store, but this one is freestanding and has been fashioned from the same solid bluestone that has been used to create the flooring.

The shop evokes a simple, pared-back feel with pale, untreated oak used for the shelving and blackened steel put to good use to form the shelves in the window, complementing the cast-iron used for the façade.

Like all other Aesop stores, it passes the ‘remove the logo and guess where you are’ test with flying and stylish colours, thanks to the use of the brown bottles that are the retailer’s signature touch.