Aesop's Leeds Location Draws From the Grandeur of Victorian Bathrooms

Summary

• Aesop’s new Leeds store in the historic County Arcade evokes luxurious Victorian bathrooms, offering an immersive retail experience.
• The store’s design combines classic Victorian elements with modern touches, featuring three interconnected rooms and product testing areas for a unique, leisurely atmosphere.

Aesop has opened its latest location in Leeds’ County Arcade, a turn-of-the-century shopping center characterized by Victorian charm. Inspired by the tradition of luxe Victorian bathrooms, the fragrance and skincare label continues to develop its site-specific retail storytelling.

Known for its immersive in-store experiences and refined interior design, Aesop tailors its store concepts to each location. Completed in 1904, the County Arcade is a Leeds landmark, featuring ornate interior finishes such as mosaics, marble, and delicate ironwork. Overflowing with natural light from glass roofing, the building belongs to a genre of late 19th-century/early 20th-century leisure centers that were developed in rapidly growing city centers.

The store plays off of these sensibilities, looking to grand parlour-like bathrooms of the era, enabled by innovations in plumbing enjoyed by wealthy households. “In this way, bathing transformed into an activity of leisure rather than of perfunctory hygiene,” Aesop shared in an official release.

With the Leeds store, Aesop reintroduces this moment in English culture and reimagines it for today’s customer. “A place to unwind, to converse, to cleanse,” the store comprises three different rooms threaded together by an enfilade.

Timber-panelled cabinets featuring enamelled troughs are consistent throughout the shop, allowing visitors to try out products as they walk through. Combining patinated wooden flooring and shelves with bold green accents, the store is simultaneously modern and classic, true to Aesop’s brand ethos.

Aesop Leeds
25-29 County Arcade, Leeds, LS1 6BH