Avgvst Jewelry Berlin by Crosby Studios: A Raw, Upcycled Retail Experience

Project Title: Avgvst Jewelry Berlin Architects: Crosby Studios Location: Berlin, Germany Completion Year: 2023 Photography: Benoit Florençon Project Categories: Retail Design, Jewelry Store Interiors, Sustainable Architecture

A Nomadic Retail Space Rooted in Raw Aesthetics

In the heart of Berlin, Crosby Studios brings a bold vision to life for Avgvst Jewelry, transforming traditional retail expectations with a raw, repurposed design language. This latest collaboration between the two creative forces unfolds as a hybrid space—part jewelry showroom, part tattoo studio, and part hidden garden sanctuary—an embodiment of experimental retail architecture and sustainable design.

Upcycled Minimalism: A "Dark Kitchen" Retail Concept

The concept for the Avgvst Berlin store draws inspiration from the idea of a “dark kitchen,” where food is prepared exclusively for delivery without customer seating. Translated into a spatial experience, the store eliminates the notion of permanence, instead embracing transient, utilitarian materials and upcycled elements to create a deliberately temporary atmosphere.

• Office blinds are reimagined as textural wall finishes.
• Foldable camping chairs and tables substitute conventional retail furnishings.
• Industrial restaurant equipment becomes the display infrastructure for fine jewelry.

This approach mirrors the manual craftsmanship of jewelry-making, emphasizing meticulous attention to detail while questioning traditional luxury retail formats.

A Design Philosophy Built on Nomadism and Authenticity

The design reflects Avgvst’s philosophy: jewelry retail should not be about prestige or pretense, but rather authentic expression. The collaboration with Crosby Studios—led by Harry Nuriev—has evolved since 2017, yielding five store designs and numerous conceptual experiments. Together, they’ve reshaped the brand’s identity through unexpected materiality and bold spatial interventions.

Color, Memory, and the Birth of Avgvst's Visual Language

The first Avgvst store, opened in Moscow in 2018, was a strikingly monochromatic yellow. The choice was serendipitous—Natasha Bryantseva arrived at her first design meeting with a yellow notepad, unknowingly inspiring a palette that would come to define the brand. The color, evocative of tansy flowers, sunlight, and gold, became a visual metaphor for August—the month the brand is named after.

The store’s design also marked Nuriev’s first exploration into his "Transformism" concept. Basic ceramic tiles—more associated with public restrooms than luxury goods—were chosen deliberately to disrupt the norms of jewelry retail. A passerby’s remark, “It looks like a public toilet,” was embraced as the highest form of flattery—proof that the store’s design had broken free of elitist expectations.

Architectural Significance: Retail as Cultural Commentary

Crosby Studios’ work on the Berlin store goes beyond aesthetics. It challenges how we perceive retail environments by blending functionality with conceptual storytelling, merging luxury with utilitarianism. This project is a case study in adaptive reuse, low-waste interior architecture, and creative upcycling in commercial design.