【Western Archives】

LONDON — Apple's UK flagship store is Western Archivesback after being closed for renovation — and it's had more than just a lick of paint.

Mashablegot a first look at the redesigned new shop on Regent Street. With its huge windows and smart bulbs, the design of the store makes the most of natural light — a much appreciated feature in grey and rainy London.

SEE ALSO: Brexit pound slump could be responsible for higher iPhone 7 prices in the UK Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Apple head designer Jonathan Ive teamed up with architects Foster + Partners for the redesign. In a presentation to the media, Senior Vice President of Retail Angela Ahrendts explained that the company wanted to maintain the historic nature of the building. The store's location is near Oxford Circus, one of the busiest shopping areas in the world, and is always crowded.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

To bring a bit of nature inside the store, Apple introduced 12 ficus alii trees, and two "living walls." The staff were keen to point out that the plants on the living walls were watered with a snake-like pipe that winds behind them, providing the appropriate amount of water for each plant.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

The living wall is also 2 degrees C cooler than the rest of the store — handy if you get overheated and need a little break after looking at the post-Brexit iPhone prices.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

One aspect of the redesign that we found surprising was that the phones are all "untethered" — meaning that customers can pick them up, see how they fit in their pockets and try them out with different coloured cases. Apparently they have a feature where the phone will light up and make noise if taken off premises, and then Apple can immobilise it.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Apple has added a new position to its stores. "Creative Pros" will be on hand to offer their expertise in photography, music and design. "Today at Apple" schedules workshops and programs. It's part of Apple's push around becoming a "town centre," and follows on from the redesign in San Francisco's Union Square.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

All in all, it's a far cry from the basement the entire store was crammed into during the redesign process. (Before it was shut entirely!) With its prime location, the store really can't lose, but the redesign should also make it a more attractive place to spend some time in.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The store reopens to the public on Saturday, Oct. 15.

Topics Apple

• Digital Culture
• Social Good
• Tech
• Deals
• Games
• Shopping
• Life
• Entertainment

• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 12, 2025
• How to livestream Kansas State vs. Michigan State
• Hitting that snooze button is a relationship killer. Here's how to quit.
• 5 freaky things GPT
• Apple is actively looking at AI search for Safari
• It's never too early to eat lunch
• How to livestream Kansas State vs. Michigan State
• The best music to help you sleep
• 10 Tech Predictions for 2017
• How to watch Eva Longoria's directorial debut, 'Flamin' Hot'

• Sacha Baron Cohen drops politically
• A wealthy human just purchased Trump's drawing of, uh, whatever that thing is
• Uber wins appeal, can continue operating in London
• Brilliant New York Post cover perfectly sums up Trump's White House
• 10 better things to do than subtweet a female writer on the internet
• The Apple Watch Series 3 isn't playing nice with WatchOS 7 for some
• iPhone users can use Live View in Google Maps to better share locations
• Angelina Jolie admits that 'things got bad' with Brad Pitt
• Transgender comedian speaks out about Trump's ban on 'The Tonight Show'
• Hulu's 'Monsterland' is a twisted tale of inner demons: Review

• NYT mini crossword answers for May 12, 2025
• U.N. warns of looming global water crisis. Here are some solutions.
• Sam Neill is the daily motivation we badly need during social distancing
• No, your brain isn't 'too busy' for meditation
• Ryzen 5 1600X vs. 1600: Which should you buy?
• Twitter users report slew of new bugs: Disappearing tweets, photo tags removed, link previews gone
• Zoom's iOS app no longer sends data to Facebook
• 11 easy April Fools' Day pranks, if you need a lil fun to brighten your day
• The 10 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2016
• Houston vs. Miami livestreams: How to watch the Sweet 16 matchup

• Amazon Prime Grubhub deal: Save $10 off orders of $20 or more
• ChatGPT knows Elon Musk better than Elon Musk knows himself
• 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for March 24
• TikTok love story documents next
• This is the fattest of the extremely fat bears
• Google's AI chatbot Bard gives drab answers, but it does one thing better than ChatGPT
• NCAA Tournament live stream: How to watch Xavier vs. Texas in the Sweet 16
• 'Watchmen,' 'Contagion' PSAs tell us how to keep safe from coronavirus
• Bomb Envy
• Bing Image Creator: The AI chatbot can now generate DALL