Laura Ashley

Location: Portland, OR

Area: 2,000 sq. ft.

The British designer Laura Ashley who started by printing tea towels in her basement, expanded to over 250 shops worldwide. Creating English storefront details and interior mouldings to create the "English look" was very important to the total concept and interior furnishings.

This shop is located in a newly renovated building in downtown Portland, Oregon. The landlord liked the trademark green storefront so much he painted all the windows in the building to match. Although it was a compliment, it did not allow the Laura Ashley storefront to stand out on its own.

The street level shop is part of a revitalization of Portland’s downtown area. The Owner wanted a Class A store to encourage other shops to follow.

The solution included pin mounted brass letters in the stone frieze above the door, a traditional wood storefront, oak floors with cherry inlays, and columns holding up the cove light cornice mouldings in addition to the typical Laura Ashley recognizable details. Each store’s millwork and cabinets were custom designed to the fraction of an inch.

Every shop incorporated the "English design" concept created by Laura Ashley, Inc. and interpreted to meet U.S. codes and standards. Studies of old english storefronts and interior details were used to maintain traditional proportions and moulding profiles.