the memo boutique in Armadale, Melbourne, is a flagship retail space designed by Cera Stribley to deliver an elevated shopping experience for new and expecting parents. 

Founded by a powerhouse duo of business women, Phoebe Simmonds and Kate Casey, the memo cuts through the noise and clutter of the babysphere to deliver a highly considered edit of covetable and helpful products for new and expecting parents. After a successful first few years operating as an online retailer, Phoebe and Kate engaged Cera Stribley, in 2022, to transpose the memo’s powerful digital brand identity into the physical realm.

Everything about the memo – from the product range and the layout of the store to the material palette and quirky design elements – is designed and curated to provide the optimal retail experience for new and expecting parents; one that is approachable, uncluttered, playful, and enjoyable to navigate.

A key element of the design brief was the desire to avoid an outcome that felt cluttered and uncurated. This proved to be quite the challenge, given the large array of products that needed to be on display, and the fact that many of these products are small items.

The size of the space itself is not large, spanning just 75 square metres, so finding a way to unify the memo’s broad product range in a way that felt visually and experientially cohesive was fundamental to achieving a successful outcome. To do so, we used the concept of zoning, and engaged colour as a way to demarcate certain zones of the store.

An imaginative application of materials was employed in order to deliver a space that felt unique and elevated, yet approachable, while remaining within the clients’ modest budget. The juxtaposition of coloured stone creates a feature moment at the point-of-sale, while the purple ribbed façade of the counter adds an element of texture to the space.

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Fitout by The Melbourne Builder
Photography by Damien Kook