French footwear brand VEJA has opened its third North American location—and first on the West Coast—on Los Angeles’ Abbot Kinney Boulevard.
Long recognized by Venice Beach locals for its signature “Carnation” sign, the structure, which has roots stretching back to 1923, has historically served as a haven for post-war artists. Now, the building houses VEJA’s latest retail store, designed by locally based studio OWIU.
Creating a material dialogue
OWIU employed VEJA’s identity as a foundation, with subtle references to the Los Angeles landscape woven through.
Organic shapes and an open, airy floor plan set the tone, while sculptural concrete display pieces—hand-poured and mixed by OWIU’s in-house fabrication team, Inflexion Builds—introduce a blush-sand hue that calls to mind the nearby shoreline. These pieces, crafted to function as both display surfaces and seating, contrast deliberately against natural rocks and sand.
Preserving the bones
The structure’s original high wood beam ceilings and industrial elements were preserved, while walls were stripped to the original brick and finished with sand plaster to develop a layered, textured patina.
Two floor-to-ceiling mirrors, installed facing each other, extend the depth of the rectangular floor plan, amplifying the space’s airy minimalism.
The cobbler station at VEJA Los Angeles
At the heart of the design is the cobbler station, a dedicated, recessed room made visible from every angle of the store. Central to VEJA’s Clean, Repair, Collect program, the station is framed by a wall cutout that functions almost cinematically, putting a spotlight on the cobbler’s work.
Custom shelving, evoking nostalgic imagery of French cobbler shops, lines the station and places worn, well-used items on display. The design reframes these objects not as artifacts of damage, but as evidence of a life well-lived and worth preserving.
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