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Aesop shop as seen from the street. Central counter with display
shelves in the background.

Aesop’s Fabulous
Aesop’s Fabulous

Rigorous Elegance

Marks Shaw Skincare Shop

by Denise Liebowitz

Aesop, a high-end skincare brand from Australia with a
cult-like following, designs its stores to stop you in your
tracks, and each one does it in a different way. In New
York’s Grand Central Terminal, the Aesop kiosk is made
from 1,800 torn copies of the The New York Times; in Paris,
shelving made of perfectly aligned rows of hand-
wrought iron nails recalls the industrial workshops of the
old rue Tiquetonne neighborhood; in Oslo, white fiberglass
domes create a wintry Nordic landscape; and in Kyoto,
salvaged metal pipes and lights previously used on
Japanese fishing boats are the focus.
From its beginning 30 years ago, the Aesop brand
has consistently demonstrated an authentic commitment
to serious architecture, sustainable design, local materials,
and cultural and historic context. Each of the company’s
more than 60 stores around the globe is located in a
neighborhood chosen for its special interest, and a leading

Project: Aesop Shaw,
1924 8th Street, NW, Washington, DC
Architects: David Jameson Architects
Brass Metalworkers: Triton Metals, Inc.
General Contractor: Madden CCI

92 AESOP’S FABULOUS