We couldn’t be more excited to show off one of our most recently completed projects! The grand opening for Aesop‘s newest location in Oak Brook Center took place in September 2022. With a custom tile exterior fabricated by Sandkuhl Clay and custom-cut Summit Brick accents to match, this endeavor was a true collaborative effort between the designers, the fabricators, and our team of creative thinkers.
Every AESOP location has a totally unique design and color scheme, often incorporating one-of-a-kind natural materials. Take their Bucktown store in Chicago, for example… which uses our signature reclaimed Chicago common brick. When it came time to build this new suburban outpost, their in-house interior design team reached out to us in search of an earthy-red “perforated masonry module with grooved surfaces.”
It’s no wonder Sandkuhl got involved with this project — one of the many reasons we love this woman-owned Ohio factory is for their enthusiastic willingness to develop bespoke solutions for unusual requests! Several months and lots of samples later, this terracotta-colored tile emerged. Evenly-spaced ribs across each 12″ x 7-5/8″ piece were precisely measured to be the exact width of a traditional mortar joint, allowing for strong and consistent vertical lines across the facade.
Throughout the space, both inside and out, complimentary-hued “Medium Red” bricks from Summit were cut laterally by our yard team to a 3/4″ thickness, and installed to reveal their perfectly circular core holes. We provided this same material, with its rustic vertical-scratch face texture, to the incredible craftsmen at Oetee for the store’s custom cabinetry and other fixtures.
The next time you find yourself out in Oakbrook, Illinois, be sure to pop in to Aesop’s new storefront to admire the masonry and check out their many sustainable and vegan products for skin, hair, home, & body!
LOCATION: 96 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523
ARCHITECT: Aesop+ Range Design
GC: LG Group
MASON: Skyline Plastering
INTERIOR CABINETRY: Oetee
PRODUCTS SUPPLIED: Summit Brick + Sandkuhl Clay
Categories: Commercial + Municipal, Glazed + Specialty Bricks, Wild Masonry, Thin Brick + Thin Stone, Special Shapes + Conditions
