Memory Labs

Memory Labs, Toronto

superkül, Toronto Photography: Scott Norsworthy

How do you sell something that has no tangibility? How do you sell emotions? That is what the design team had to figure out in creating a retail space for a company that digitizes to museumquality standards analogue media like family photos and videos. The solution was to blend past and present. Materially, white oak and porcelain tiles dominate, but instead of traditional decorative motifs, contrasting shades and geometry are used to recall the circular shapes of camera lenses, rings and dials. This is continued on the bean-shaped service counter, fabricated in powder-coated steel in the company’s brand colour of Hague Blue, flanked by a pair of custom-designed pendant light fixtures in stainless steel that resemble a cluster of vintage camera flash bulbs and backed by pale grey fabric panels that contrast predominantly hard surfaces. Modern technology is represented opposite the counter with four extra-large monitors mounted on a video memory wall displaying final products as a gallery of memories.