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Journals / İDEALKENT / 2026 / Sayı: 51

Commercial interiors as active agents in shaping urban experience: Integrating urban context in interior branding

Kentsel deneyimi biçimlendiren etkin aktörler olarak ticari iç mekanlar: İç mekân markalaşmasına kentsel bağlamın entegrasyonu

Shirin Izadpanah(ANTALYA BİLİM ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-8395-7155
Journal
İDEALKENT
Pages
1–15
Publication Date
2026-10-20
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings reveal that incorporating cultural, historical, and architectural characteristics of cities, neighbohoods, and existing buildings into design decisions; utilizing local materials; embedding local references within interior spaces; establishing strong connections between stores and the street; and maintaining consistent shopping rituals and product display strategies constitute the principal mechanisms through which Aesop localizes its stores while preserving a coherent global identity.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The tension between global branding and the preservation of local identity raises important questions about how brands use architecture and interior design to establish meaningful relationships with the urban contexts in which they operate.
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Key Findings & Data:Aesop provides a compelling case, as its retail strategy deliberately avoids standardized store designs and instead responds to the specific characteristics of each location.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings reveal that incorporating cultural, historical, and architectural characteristics of cities, neighbohoods, and existing buildings into design decisions; utilizing local materials; embedding local references within interior spaces; establishing strong connections between stores and the street; and maintaining consistent shopping rituals and product display strategies constitute the principal mechanisms through which Aesop localizes its stores while preserving a coherent global identity.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:İç mekân markalaşması · ticari iç mekânlar · kentsel bağlam

Abstract

The tension between global branding and the preservation of local identity raises important questions about how brands use architecture and interior design to establish meaningful relationships with the urban contexts in which they operate. Aesop provides a compelling case, as its retail strategy deliberately avoids standardized store designs and instead responds to the specific characteristics of each location. This study examines the strategies through which Aesop integrates its branded interiors into diverse urban contexts, analyzing selected stores in six cities. Adopting a qualitative multiple-case study approach, the study selected cases through purposive sampling and analyzed through thematic coding to identify the principal strategies employed by the brand. The findings reveal that incorporating cultural, historical, and architectural characteristics of cities, neighbohoods, and existing buildings into design decisions; utilizing local materials; embedding local references within interior spaces; establishing strong connections between stores and the street; and maintaining consistent shopping rituals and product display strategies constitute the principal mechanisms through which Aesop localizes its stores while preserving a coherent global identity. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on globalization, interior branding, and urban identity by proposing strategies through which brand identity can remain both globally recognizable and locally responsive.

Özet

Küresel markalaşma ile yerel kimliğin korunması arasındaki gerilim, markaların faaliyet gösterdikleri kentsel bağlamlarla anlamlı ilişkiler kurmak için mimarlık ve iç mekân tasarımını nasıl kullandıklarına ilişkin önemli soruları gündeme getirmektedir. Aesop, standartlaştırılmış mağaza tasarımlarından bilinçli olarak uzaklaşarak, her mağazasını bulunduğu lokasyonun kendine özgü özelliklerine göre şekillendiren bir yaklaşım benimsemesi nedeniyle dikkat çekici bir örnek oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışma, Aesop’un iç mekân markalaşmasını farklı kentsel bağlamlara entegre etmek için benimsediği stratejileri, altı farklı şehirde yer alan seçilmiş mağazaların analizi aracılığıyla incelemektedir. Nitel çoklu vaka çalışması yaklaşımı kapsamında, vakalar amaçlı örnekleme yöntemiyle seçilmiş ve markanın kullandığı temel stratejileri ortaya çıkarmak amacıyla tematik kodlama yöntemiyle analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular, kentlerin, mahallelerin ve mevcut yapıların kültürel, tarihsel ve mimari özelliklerinin tasarım kararlarına yansıtılması; yerel malzemelerin kullanılması; iç mekânlarda sembolik yerel referanslara yer verilmesi; mağaza ile sokak arasında güçlü ilişkiler kurulması; ve tüm mağazalarda tutarlı alışveriş ritüelleri ile ürün sergileme stratejilerinin sürdürülmesinin, Aesop’un mağazalarını kurarken tutarlı bir küresel marka kimliğini korumasını sağlayan temel mekanizmalar olduğunu göstermektedir. Çalışma, marka kimliğinin hem küresel ölçekte tanınabilir hem de yerel bağlama duyarlı kalabileceği stratejiler ortaya koyarak küreselleşme, iç mekân markalaşması ve kentsel kimlik literatürüne katkı sunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Izadpanah, S. (2026). Commercial interiors as active agents in shaping urban experience: Integrating urban context in interior branding. İDEALKENT, Sayı: 51, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.31198/idealkent.1773979

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