"Good design begins with honesty, asks tough questions, comes from collaboration and from trusting your intuition."
Freeman Thomas
"Good design begins with honesty, asks tough questions, comes from collaboration and from trusting your intuition."
Freeman Thomas
"Good design begins with honesty, asks tough questions, comes from collaboration and from trusting your intuition."
Freeman Thomas
"Good design begins with honesty, asks tough questions, comes from collaboration and from trusting your intuition."
Freeman Thomas
"Good design begins with honesty, asks tough questions, comes from collaboration and from trusting your intuition."
Freeman Thomas
BUD & BLOOM
Cannabis dispensary
This cannabis dispensary was designed to be an elevated experience for the high-end clientele of Orange County. Rather than feeling like a typical smoke shop, this space was designed to epitomize California cool meets vintage apothecary.
I was honored that Bud & Bloom went on to be named one of the "Top 10 Most Beautiful Cannabis Dispensaries in America" by Leafly, an online cannabis authority. It was also featured on Venue Report as one of "California's Coolest Cannabis Dispensaries". These accolades were the cherry on top of a green sundae!
The weathered hardwood floors are a beautiful highlight of the space, complemented by a faux brick wall and chevron wood columns. These rustic architectural features are balanced by polished trendy retail and lighting fixtures.
White marble countertops, copper metal accents, faux deerskin leather, gray and dark redwood veneer composes the color/material scheme of the store. This feminine palette was put together to completely transform the audience's perception of a cannabis dispensary.
Watching this project come to life was a real treat! The location was quite close to my Irvine office in Santa Ana, so it was really fun to see it develop. Above you can see the installation team putting up the faux brick wall in the back. I was please to see how close the space resembles my renderings!
The metal decorative shelves take advantage of the high ceilings and bring the eye up. In the lattice design there is an abstracted representation of a marijuana leaf. These subtle references keep the space feeling classy but fun.
Behind the counter is a unique organization system designed specifically for Bud & Bloom. There is a grid of shelves that house their product jars, these are inspired by the organized clutter that characterizes a traditional apothecary.
In the drawers are index-card like dividers, so that the cannabis product can all be stored properly classified. These systems really help the employees serve their customers and allow for smooth work-flow.
These glass product display cases show off the delicate pipes and bongs the dispensary sells. These pieces are a great way to keep people interested in perusing the store.
Bud & Bloom was the first dispensary I designed and it was a fun, but challenging experience. I learned so much about the industry and the unique retail requirements. In the process, I designed some really cool pieces that I'm proud to say have really helped the brand name. It widely loved as one of the best-designed dispensaries in Orange County, just check out the yelp reviews!