Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Projects
Family Kitchen & Shop
Awards
- Cultural Enterprises Sustainability Award, 2023
A nature inspired shop that kids want to visit
A UNESCO world heritage site with over 50,000 living plants, Kew Gardens inspires people to protect the natural world. Collaborating with restaurant designers Mizzi Studio and HOK Architects, the Family Kitchen and Shop reflect Kew’s mission to educate and inspire the next generation of horticulturists.
Sustainable stories
The 208 square metre shop is the world’s first botanic gardens shop to be designed specifically with children in mind. It’s also a net-zero carbon space. The cash desk countertop is made from recycled yoghurt pots and trees felled at the Kew Gardens site have been crafted to create tables doubling as mushroom-shaped sculptures. The unique space is full of stories about nature. Display tables resemble oversized ants. An earthworm bench gives young bookworms a place to read. Lights are presented as clouds or honeycomb beehives, made from recycled cardboard. Everywhere you look is designed to fascinate and inspire children and their families.
A family destination
Kew has always been a place of magic and inspiration. The Shop builds on the success of the beautiful Children’s Garden and reflects the core values of the Family Kitchen concept. It enhances visitors’ experience of this iconic destination and is a must-see for horticultural related products.
We asked the team at Lumsden Design to create a retail offer that would appeal to visitors of all ages, enhancing their enjoyment of the new and hugely popular Children’s Garden. Despite the challenges of lockdown and a limited budget they have worked in close collaboration with our other partners to deliver an extraordinary, engaging and cohesive design solution. In short, I believe this is now the best shop at Kew!
Patrick Wynniatt-Husey
