Lick, the community-powered home decor brand, is today opening its first bricks and mortar store on Northcote Road in Battersea. Designed by Oskar Kohnen Studio, the designer behind the colourful art-deco interiors at The Standard, 65 Northcote Road is an interiors oasis in the heart of Battersea.
Bringing Lick’s brand of approachable, expert colour support to a bricks and mortar setting, customers are invited to come in and get creative. Whether they’re painting a piece of furniture, decorating a new bedroom, or doing an all-out renovation project, budding decorators can now step inside the store for a face-to-face colour consultation and tailored inspiration. Decorators can choose a shade from the curated collection of pigment-rich colours, and test out their favourites on the tester wall. Lick’s peel-and-stick samples and knowledgeable decorator consultants make it easier than ever for customers to take the first step in their home decor journey.
When designing the store, Kohnen wanted to celebrate colour and simplicity, taking inspiration from London post-war and modernism to create an art studio feel which is inviting to all. Kohnen was inspired by old photographs of Northcote Road from the 1950s, with the store’s geographic location referenced throughout the interiors. .
An archive image of Battersea Power Station’s pink control centre provided inspiration for the store’s dusky pink Northcote 65 colour, while the modernist Turbine Hall B with its tiled interior influenced the design of the floor tiles. Even the curve of the central counter table reflects the shape of the famous Arding & Hobbs department store. There’s a nod to Clapham’s eclectic architecture with a more modern, neo eco-inspired colour palette, whilst the furnishings are influenced by a forward-looking, post-war, mid-century aesthetic.
To celebrate the opening of the store, Lick have launched a bespoke colour: Northcote 65, which is also the colour of the facade and walls of the store. Data from Lick reveals pink to be one of the neighbourhood’s most-ordered colours, so this shade was created especially for the local area. Designed to evoke a sense of cosiness and comfort, Northcote 65 recreates the homely feeling of having a close-knit community.
Tash Bradley, Head of Interior Design at Lick says “We’re taking a digitally native brand into its first physical store, so we wanted to be playful and have fun with colour.
“We are so excited to share Northcote 65 with our local community – it is a dusky pink with earthy undertones. The skirting board of our store is black lacquer, a strong line that will give the space a strong framework. Black 02 and the Northcote 65 Pink will read a little neo-deco, which is intentional and moves the aesthetic away from the usual millennial pink bubblegum.
“We used White 05 for the lower part of the walls, as this needed to be a neutral colour that would encourage customers to have an open mind when picking a paint colour. White 05 has a nice neutral depth to it without being too creamy, and we combined it with a very light grey cement tile, which will give the store an atelier feel.”
Lucas London, CEO at Lick says “This is a huge moment for us as a brand and we are delighted to be able to bring our approachable, stylish colour support to a face to face setting. Having been born in lockdown and operated online exclusively until now, this is the next step in the evolution of our business.
“As well as being able to provide in-person support and inspiration for customers’ decorating journeys, it’s an honour to be part of the local community in Battersea. We’ll keep looking for new ways to give back to our neighbours.”
