London design studio JamesPlumb blended handwoven bulrush shelves with earthy hemp accents to create the interiors for this Aesop store in Cambridge, which takes cues from the nearby River Cam.Located on the city's Trinity Street, the Aesop outlet was conceived as a "woven reading room" that provides a place to shop and leaf through books, according to the Australian skincare and cosmetics brand.

The store's understated shopfront is painted a dark brown hue informed by well-worn leather, which nods to antique book bindings in reference to Cambridge's history of academia.Inside, a curved and slatted window seat doubles as a plinth for potted pelargoniums that frame the store's light-filled, street-facing room featuring earthy-toned walls.

This space is defined by oversized, textured shelves created from freshwater bulrush plants – locally sourced and handwoven by rush weaver Felicity Irons of Rush Matters.Other shelving in this room is made from hemp grown on the nearby Margent Farm, which was combined with bio-resin to form geometric slabs of cabinetry that display various Aesop products, as well as a large sink.

At the back of the store, another room features walls painted in a darker hue than the street-facing space, which takes cues from the brown flowers of bulrush plants.Original nineteenth-century polished wooden floorboards also feature in both rooms and intend to echo the outlet's emphasis on local history.