Client: Kitty & Gus, 22 Horsemarket, Kelso Services: Retail Design & Merchandising Strategy Scope: Fashion, gifts, homewares and bespoke curtain-making, under one roof
The Brief
Kitty & Gus is a lovely example of a shop that sells a genuinely wide mix. Clothing sits alongside gifts, homewares and a bespoke made-to-measure curtain service, all in one space. That variety is a real strength for the business, but it brings a design challenge with it. Without clear zoning, a shop like this can start to feel cluttered and confusing rather than rich and interesting.
Owner Rachel came to me ahead of a February opening with a clear set of goals. She wanted a layout that made the shop easy to navigate, that made the most of both wall and floor space without overcrowding it, and that gave the new curtain consultation area a place of its own within the shop rather than feeling bolted on. She also wanted the look and feel to evolve. The existing customer base skewed 50-plus, and she was keen to bring in a younger 30-plus audience too, without losing the warmth that existing customers already loved.
The shop was also moving premises, from a much smaller, cramped space into a larger one. That’s a welcome change, but it brings its own challenge: there was still a substantial amount of stock to accommodate, and a bigger footprint needed a proper plan behind it so it didn’t simply feel emptier or less considered than the old shop.
Working to a February deadline meant the schedule was tight from the start, so getting the direction right early on mattered.
The Approach
The process began with space planning, measuring and drawing up the space, then working through different layout options to find what would suit this type of business best. I stayed in close contact with Rachel throughout, discussing what would work best for her and her team, and used colour and lighting to improve the customer journey as well as to make things easier for staff to move around and restock. The first stage of the work was about the fundamentals: the layout and the colour scheme, so that the larger footprint was used well and didn’t swallow up the existing stock or leave the shop feeling under-furnished. From there, the project came together in a few connected layers: a colour and materials palette, a zoning and hierarchy plan, a detailed layout, and specific treatments for the areas that needed the most thought.
Colour and materials
The palette leant into soft, calming tones with warmth underneath. I put forward the initial colour suggestions, and after some deliberation with Rachel, we settled on Duck Egg across all the woodwork and shelving throughout the shop. It’s a soft, versatile tone that ties the different zones together and gives the timber a fresh, cohesive finish without needing to touch every surface differently. Brass and gold accents, natural wood flooring and touches of mirror and glass rounded out a materials palette designed to feel considered rather than trend-led.
Externally, we decided on a lighter shade, Farrow & Ball’s De Nimes, paired with an ochre and white awning and a white logo for contrast and visibility on the street.
Zoning and layout
With so many product categories in play, the layout plan mapped out clear zones for clothing, shoes, homeware, gifts, cards, paper and stationery, and the curtain-making area, each given its own identity while still feeling part of one shop. I ranked areas by sales priority, with the primary selling space closest to the entrance and staff areas, with secondary and supporting zones working outward from there, so the most important stock gets seen first.
For the curtain consultation area specifically, the aim was for it to feel integrated with the rest of the shop rather than separated off, while still being distinct enough that customers understood what it was for.
The blocked window
One area needed a more creative solution. Part of the shopfront window was structurally blocked off, which could easily have become a dead frontage. Instead, I proposed a “through the window” illusion, a scene suggesting a behind-the-scenes workshop with tools, fabrics and a QR code linking to appointment booking. It turns a limitation into a story about what the business does, and keeps the frontage feeling alive even where the window itself can’t be.
Practical detailing
Alongside the bigger moves, the proposal covered the smaller decisions that make a shop function well day to day: opening up the cupboard doors behind the counter for extra display and last-minute purchases, adding a front-facing wall rail to make stock more visible and easier to browse, and specifying a mix of ready-made and bespoke furniture, including free-standing units for cards, paper and clothing rails, a small bench for trying on shoes, and a fold-in table for the curtain area.
The Finished Space
The result is a shop that feels considered without feeling overworked. The painted shelving, brass rail and warm lighting give the fashion and homeware sections a boutique, editorial feel, while colourful knitwear and accessories are given room to stand out against the calmer backdrop. At the counter, pendant lighting and the Duck Egg cabinetry tie the space together and give the till area a sense of occasion rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Crucially, the zoning does what it was designed to do. Clothing, gifts, homewares and the curtain service each have their own space to breathe, while the palette and materials carry through consistently enough that the whole shop reads as one considered scheme rather than several different shops stitched together.
Practical Takeaways for Multi-Category Retailers
A few principles from this project apply well beyond one shop in Kelso.
Give each category its own zone, but one shared language. Different product types can sit close together without competing, as long as they share a consistent palette and materials approach.
Rank your selling space by priority. Not every wall or table deserves equal weight. Deciding what customers see first, second and last makes a layout feel intentional rather than accidental.
Don’t let a structural limitation go to waste. A blocked window, an awkward alcove or an odd-shaped corner can become a feature with the right idea, rather than something to work around.
Small changes to existing fixtures can do a lot. Repainting the back of a unit or removing cupboard doors for open display is often more cost-effective than replacing furniture outright, and can transform how a space feels.
Design for the customer you have and the one you want. Evolving a look to attract a new audience doesn’t mean abandoning what current customers already respond to. It’s usually about layering warmth and freshness onto a strong existing foundation.
If you’re planning a retail fit-out or refresh and want a layout that works as hard as your stock does, get in touch to talk through your space.
