When a retail brand opens its second store in one of London's most architecturally distinctive destinations, every design decision carries weight. The Outsiders Store at Coal Drops Yard, King's Cross, gave WDC Spaces the opportunity to create a retail interior that earns its place commercially, aesthetically and sustainably.
Coal Drops Yard is built from the conversion of two 19th-century coal warehouses into a mixed retail and leisure destination. The spaces are distinctive: varied in size, shaped by restored arches and original Victorian black wrought iron. Rather than work around these features, the store design makes them central - keeping the building's character visible while creating a functional, flexible retail environment.
The Outsiders brand is built on a genuine sustainability ethos, and the store design reflects that commitment in concrete terms. FSC-sourced timbers, a natural Marmoleum floor, and recycled materials run throughout the space. All perimeter fixtures are mobile and lightweight - deliberately designed to be reconfigured as the store's needs change and removed cleanly at the end of its life. This approach to retail fit-out reduces waste without compromising on quality or brand experience.
Retail spaces that can adapt are retail spaces that last. The feature footwear display wall is bespoke, lightweight, removable and transparent, so the Victorian fabric of the building reads through it. It can switch from footwear to clothing or accessories as the merchandise mix demands. Perimeter fixtures are on wheels, and the cash desk is mobile. Brand graphics are engraved on wooden panels fitted into a full-height pegboard, with perimeter graphics hoisted on recycled climbing ropes and a pulley system - a display solution that is both on-brand and genuinely reusable.
A new mezzanine level adds storage and back-office facilities without eating into the shop floor. The industrial aesthetic is consistent with the Outsiders visual language, and its design respects the existing structure rather than imposing on it.
Every element of this store serves the brand's identity as much as its commercial function. The result is a retail interior that gives customers a genuine brand experience and gives The Outsiders Store a space that can evolve as the business does.
WDC Spaces designs retail interiors that balance brand, flexibility, and commercial performance. Whether you're opening a new location or rethinking an existing one, we'd like to hear about your project. Get in touch.
Created on
September 1, 2021
Last updated on
June 23, 2026
