In the very heart of central London, in the bustling area of Covent Garden , the London design studio FormRoom has designed such an Instagram-friendly ice cream shop Milk Train . Given the importance of social media in the brand’s marketing activities, the interior concept was designed to have as many Instagram tags as possible. Playing with shapes, colors and furniture, the studio has created a surreal and playful space that invites clients to take a photo and post it on social media. The interior client wanted to emphasize the modern way of communication, which is dominated by social networks, making the interior of his first store captivating and scenographic, thus responding to the demand for a visually attractive environment that would look good in any photo. This is the first brand of retail space that has become popular with its ice cream offering and will serve as a model for all upcoming Milk Train branches. As the product itself evokes a playful sense of surrealism, the goal was to embody this magic in the interior of the store. Playing with the name of the store, the main inspiration for the interior was the aesthetics of the classic British steam train, which is clearly legible visually.
Upon arrival, customers are greeted by a large menu printed on the board in white capital letters, reminiscent of typical station displays showing train departure times at the station. Every detail of the interior is designed to attract the customer’s attention and create a real train station atmosphere. There are cabs in the dining area, numbered as train compartments. In the center of the room there are peculiar, graphically shaped luminaires and two-dimensional cloud-shaped decors suspended from the ceiling, simulating the steam emitted by the locomotive chimney. The seating is upholstered in pastel blue leather – in a composition with light surfaces and contrasting black elements, they create a visual image grateful to the Instagram format.
Such interior art is to make any image look good. Whether the tendency to subordinate the design of the room to the requirements of the 1: 1 photo format is to be assessed positively, or whether it cannot be answered unequivocally. When used in the right place and context, it works very well, as you can see in Milk Train’s social networking accounts. However, designers and also the customer should not forget that a good interior design is based on the person and his needs. If these aspects are neglected, even the most outstanding Instagram pictures will not save the situation.
