Interior of a clothing boutique with wooden accents, displaying colorful scarves, dresses, and accessories. Hanging pendant lights and a decorative wall mural featuring orange flowers are visible.

johnny was retail store

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HOUSTON, TX
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RETAIL CONCEPT DESIGN

This project reimagines the existing Johnny Was store with a refreshed interior and exterior identity that better reflects the brand’s distinctive, artful clothing. Working with ACV Consulting, Diji Studio provided visualization support and design input for the storefront, entry sequence, display areas, point of sale, wall treatments, lighting, and overall customer experience.

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STRATEGY

The design strategy is to reduce visual clutter and create a cleaner, more gallery-like environment where the clothing becomes the focus. Johnny Was pieces are highly expressive, colorful, and artwork-inspired, so the store is designed as a calm backdrop that allows each collection to stand out. The exterior introduces a new layered screen facade with evolving openings that offer glimpses into the store, creating curiosity from the street while giving the brand a more memorable architectural presence.

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MATERIAL PALETTE

The material palette combines mostly white walls, warm wood tones, soft neutral flooring, brass accents, and integrated lighting to create a relaxed California-inspired atmosphere. The exterior screen is envisioned as a GFRC facade with a custom perforated pattern, adding texture, depth, and shadow while filtering views into the storefront. Inside, natural wood and warm details soften the white gallery-like setting and support the brand’s casual, crafted, and artistic character.