Irvine Spectrum

Here are three images from The Irvine Spectrum. The first image is my attempt to show the overall feel of this mall. It felt quite rambling to me actually, as though a series of expansions had happened and each one had tacked on another cluster of stores with their own architectural theme. I hypothesize that the designers were trying to create the feel of a Mediterranean town, with curving, irregular, narrow streets. In some parts of the mall, like in this photo, it felt more Italian or French, but in other parts it felt Spanish or Moroccan with large curved archways and colorful tiled mosaic designs on the walls. These streets lead to a few large plazas, or perhaps piazze, where there was a ferris wheel, and in another a carousel. Having lived in Florence for 4 months, it reminded me of the piazza outside my apartment that had a carousel, except the one in Irvine Spectrum felt more gaudy and Las Vegas-y with its excessive blinking fluorescent lighting. I feel that the mall could have more successfully created a Mediterranean village feel by using a narrower palette of lighting colors that did not include blinking fluorescents, and a smaller variety of fixtures. (the particular street I photographed was in my opinion one of the more successful areas in the mall as it was not overly colorful and fluorescent).

The photo of Urban Outfitters is my example of a store I feel was poorly lit. I am presuming that Urban Outfitters is going for a young, hip, urban, slightly counterculture feel, and their store seemed way too fluorescent and bright to be any of those things. My photograph doesn't show this, but it was so bright in the store that I felt like I needed to squint. The tall hanging vertical lights that were hung in long rows from the ceiling felt too homogenous and bright to be counterculture. I think that the store would have had more intrigue and cool-factor if it felt more like a funky warehouse with dimmer lighting and a variety of fixtures that look like they were rigged up by resourceful urban dwellers.

I feel that Bakers shoe and accessories store was well-lit. I presume that the store is aiming to be classy, inviting, feminine, tasteful, and artsy, modern, and sophisticated. The choice of dark, red woods in the furniture and warm amber lighting created just that. I felt drawn into the store because it seemed warm and felt like it offered high-quality merchandise. I realize now that I didn't even notice the merchandise, but that the intelligent collaboration between the lighting and interior decoration gave me a sense of quality before I even entered the store. The store did not feel flat and sterile like Urban Outfitters, but instead it felt sculptural and cozy. I think that the use of brightly lit alcoves of yellow light and other areas of a pink-red light added to this feeling of depth and warmth. This store was definitely inviting thanks to the lighting.