The bright and airy space blends a fungi-inspired palette with the company’s signature aesthetic.
By Rachel Gallaher
Glossier's Seattle store is an irreverent nod to the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
In one of the most anticipated openings of the year, beauty retailer Glossier has joined the ranks of brick-and-mortar shops in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Opened on August 20th, the Emerald City outpost is the company’s first permanent retail experience to open since it decided to close all its existing spaces in March 2020.
Located just a few blocks away from the wildly popular 2019 Glossier pop-up location, the new store is four times larger, making it one of the brand’s largest spaces to date. Designed by Glossier’s in-house creative team, the interiors blend a futuristic, funhouse-esque take on nature (cartoonish mushrooms, giant boulders, and colorful flowers) and landscape with the chic minimalist and candy-color hues that customers have come to expect.
“It’s important to our team that each of our offline experiences feels uniquely Glossier and considered within its context,” says Kendall Latham, Glossier’s Senior Design Lead, Offline & Experiential. “We do this by connecting our stores to their locations with a thorough analysis of the region, its cultural signifiers, and the people who live there. With Glossier Seattle, we looked to the natural landscapes of the Pacific Northwest for inspiration and found a concept in the fascinating world of mushrooms. Fungi have an astonishing ability to grow and thrive in the most unlikely places and we wanted to bring that phenomenon in our design. Visitors are invited on a magical journey through moss-covered rocks and gigantic Willy-Wonka-esque mushrooms that pierce through the store’s foundation.”
Glossier's signature minimalism—and pink tones—are a thoughtful juxtaposition to the wilder, nature-themed elements.
These natural elements are anchored with Glossier’s classic look: sleek and minimal architecture, a smattering of pink hues, and futuristic details such as a hologram butterfly mirror. Tiled rectangular archways and a lattice-work ceiling add structure and composition to the showroom, and Glossier’s signature testing systems (tables where products are displayed for customers to try) have fun, undulating surfaces that bring added texture into the mix.
At the front of the store is a terraced seating area inspired by natural topography— a look that was achieved with faux leathers, woven fabrics, and distressed materials in varying shades of mossy green.
“Glossier Seattle takes on an earthier palette than most stores, with unfinished concrete walls and floors, textured plaster, and a variation of our ‘Glossier Pink’ that skews a little muted and warm,” Latham says. “These textured materials are paired with sleek, precise materials like glossy tiles, stainless steel, and machined elements for contrast. The final layer of color takes form in bright green mosses, whimsical flowers, and punchy, vibrant mushrooms—some of which glow in the dark."
