Feelin’ Groovy: Explore Places Where Retro Graphics Steal the Show

From Munich to Manhattan, bold graphics alive with swinging ’60s flair are popping up in shops, schools, offices, and hotels around the globe.

Bold Flair From Munich to Manhattan

The Travel Agency SoHo

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The distorted, Bridget Riley–esque grid by Bigheavy Studios that envelops the walls, ceiling, floor, and reception desk in the storefront lobby of this recreational New York cannabis dispensary by Leong Leong introduces a trippy, op art vibe. But the mood mellows in the 4,150-square-foot shop’s monochromatic interior—a minimalist, gallerylike environment that nods to the gentrified neighborhood’s past as a raffish enclave of creativity. Curated displays of colorfully packaged product, rainbow-hued bongs, and other polychromatic paraphernalia form a heady array of visual confections, joined by Breakfast’s pair of kinetic flip-disc installations—dynamic pieces with just the right amount of buzz.

Wacker House

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Scope Architekten‘s interiors for the German multinational chemical company’s new Munich headquarters—108,000 square feet of flexible workspace and covetable staff amenities across five floors in a building by C.F. Møller Architects—put a premium on visual information. The materials palette—a mix of concrete, wood, plaster, and textiles—strikes a balance between industrial and warm. Extensive greenery introduces the natural world, while wall installations—some composed of tubing that recalls pipes in a factory—are emblazoned with neon signs spelling out affirmative messages and wayfinding cues in stylized cursive script.

Maple Bear Kindergarten Olomouc and Maple Bear Elementary School Brno

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These two Czech Republic outposts by SOA Architekti of the worldwide network of Canadian-model bilingual schools meet the brand’s physical requirements—shaped by its educational methods—while infusing the spaces with local spirit, notably through site-specific graphics programs by Graphite Studio. The 6,000-square-foot kindergarten is organized around a multifunctional hall featuring a central cylindrical amphitheater—dotted with round seat cushions—and surrounded by an indoor playground, reading area, and other peripheral activity spaces. The 7,000-square-foot, two-level school draws on the industrial character of the former tooling shop it occupies, showcasing exposed steel beams, convoluted ductwork, and other metalwork finished in brilliant paintbox colors.

Ibis Styles Old Tbilisi

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Comprising 67 rooms across six floors, the global budget chain’s second hotel in Georgia’s capital occupies a former town house in the historic district. Many of the building’s original exterior features have been restored, among them a cast-iron spiral staircase, deep wooden balconies, and traditional stained-glass windows—the latter, a hallmark of the local architectural vernacular, inspired the punchy, saturated graphic motifs that enrich the modernized interior. Other playful touches from Studio Shoo include glossy-yellow lobby seating, totemlike ceramic floor vases, and a two-level, accessibility-friendly reception desk that could almost pass for a piece of constructivist sculpture.