Studio Doherty's flagship store for Australian baby brand Marquise is a consciously calm, immersive retail space for one of Australia’s oldest baby wear businesses. Studio Doherty conceived the store as an inner sanctum with elements of play, nostalgia and room for true appreciation for the intricacies and pleasures of shopping for baby clothes.

The store design works to showcase the delights of baby clothes–miniature outfits, socks,bonnets and booties–through a series of champagne-hued powder coated fittings, rotating fixtures and custom cabinetry that are designed to perfectly fit the full Marquise range. The scale of the fixtures ensures that even the tiniest pieces of baby merchandise do not get lost in display. Similarly the key palette across neutrals and peaches is designed to complement rather than distract from seasonal babywear pieces.

The muted tones of porcelain pink textured plaster, the calming feature wall lights and concealed lighting are complemented by carefully placed pops of colour–cobalt blue wall features, tiled display plinths and a custom coloured acrylic ceiling feature that was inspired by the 1960s toy Playplax (a toy Mardi Doherty loved as a child for its pops of colour and creative possibilities).

The carefully-proportioned point of sale, gifting and display counter with contrasting tile details are constructed as a series of multi-level pieces rather than one long monotone counter. The narrow 55 square metre space contains a series of‘material junctions’. Blush ceramic tiles in a circular pattern continue from the walls to the floor; custom curved railings seemingly float in the space, connecting displays of Marquise babywear and creating logical shopping routes around the store; soft curves in the walls and joinery are accentuated with a textured, rendered finish.