Simplicity Takes Courage, Especially in Retail

I am currently working on my senior capstone project which just so happens to be a retail design project (needless to say I had to do a lot of "research" at boutiques and numerous shopping visits). However, during some of my research I referenced back to the high-end retail stores, Joseph based out of the UK. 

Their store designs are the epitome of simple and modern--even down to their bold and effective graphics (love their choice in type faces). I am intrigued by their clean, sterile spaces but I think I still crave a little more life and warmth in my spaces. Nonetheless I love their well designed fixtures and interesting take on lighting. In particular, I find the clothing racks with the mirror on the outside very successful--genius 2-1 implementation by the architects of Raed Abillama of Lebanon.