The Yodgee Footwear store is made from upcycled timber shipping pallets

The brief for this project was to create a new fitout which aligned with the brand’s sustainability ethos, on a limited budget. The shoes are shipped from the manufacturer on pallets as part of their supply chain process so architects Melbourne Design Studios, took full advantage of this typically discarded and overlooked material and upcycled the used timber pallets to create almost every element of the store.

The walls of shelving, moveable shoe displays, sales counter and the pre-Covid seats are all made from recycling the pallets in some way. The knotty grains, exposed timber ends, packing stamps and warmth of the timber are the perfect match for the natural and muted colours of the leather and the classic and well-crafted styling of the shoe designs. To keep the budget low and to keep sustainability at the core of the design, the existing flooring was retained and the brickwork walls were left exposed, which adds to the richness of the textural and raw character of the store.

The ability to be able to move the stock around (in keeping with the original use of the pallet) has been retained so the shelving system can be reconfigured as required. Low display units on castors also add to the flexibility of the design.

A traditional fitout of a store of this size would’ve cost three times the amount so the design satisfied the budgetary constraints whilst creating a highly practical and clever store design. We love how this design is oozing with texture and character and there’s barely a plain white surface to be seen (which is so refreshing in the sometimes bland world of retail store design).

Related project: The Citizen pop up coffee pavilion also uses upcycled materials. You can read about it here.

Sustainability specs:
– 100% upcycled materials used for fitout
– Upcycled timber pallets
– Low maintenance and durable material
– Energy saving LED lighting
– Flexibility of arrangement

This shop may be small in size but it’s definitely large in successful delivery and application of design. A very simple approach, but creating a beautiful well rounded result.

Shoes are shipped on pallets to get to various stores in the world, so the pallet is also an integral part of the manufacturing process and supply chains. It is a product that is already there, made from natural materials , storing carbon, and so it can easily be up-cycled into this fitout, thereby massively reducing environmental impacts of the very fast turning world of shop fit outs.