Founded in Sydney, Australia, in November 1994 by Zena O’Connor, Bristol & Brooks became an immediate success as a design store. With an innovative product mix of design classics, books, and selected food items, Bristol & Brooks surpassed sales forecasts within its first quarter.
Inspired by the Conran Store (London) and Williams-Sonoma (New York), Bristol & Brooks’ branding, name and logo were designed to convey a sense of the store’s quality product range coupled with a strong focus on service and reliability.
Bristol & Brooks’ interior design reflected a trans-Atlantic aesthetic that featured warm-hued timber cabinetry, off-white tones, and clean lines. This fresh, appealing interior design scheme provided the ideal backdrop for the store’s varied product mix. Careful merchandising, zero clutter strategy and a selected in store music playlist created an ambience that matched the well-designed store. The retail interior design focus was followed through in the design of the Chifley store by Don McQualter of Studio McQualter.
Bristol & Brooks logo design featured Copperfield Light typeface in dark green (Hex #115740; Pantone dark green 343C) on a white background. This color was selected because it has strong familiarity, conveys a sense of inclusivity, reliability and accessibility, provides a link to environmental sustainability, and does not convey a sense of being expensive and exclusive. The white background ensured high legibility across all applications including print advertising, signage and packaging.
Due to the calibre of its corporate branding design, product mix, interior retail design, and service, Bristol & Brooks was offered a tenancy in prestigious Chifley Plaza in Sydney’s CBD alongside global brands, Tiffany & Co., Max Mara and Crabtree & Evelyn. The business also garnered multiple magazine articles and mentions in shopping guides.
The success of the brand led to Bristol & Brooks becoming a sponsor of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, and was one of the founding businesses of the MCA’s BizArt initiative in 1995, plus an awards sponsor of design students in Sydney.
The Bristol & Brooks Chifley store was sold to the Bogatai family (Tulio, Jason and Sacha Bogatai) on it’s fifth anniversary in late 1999. The Bogatai family continued the success of Bristol & Brooks through to its relocation in Sydney’s CBD. The business was then moved online and in early 2015, the Bogatai family shuttered the business.
