in designing the 2046 shoe shop in barcelona, a project they undertook for a photographer friend, architect jose luis portillo and graphic designer jose luis merino found inspiration in the world of cinema. they made premises almost completely dark, thus generating an atmosphere in which the shoes on display are presented as objects of desire. the concontrasty lighting - dimly lit shop, strategically illuminated shoes and accessories - could have been taken straight from film noir. the resulting sense of glamour turns the "trying on experience" into a moment of self-indulgence. a black-leather armchair in front of a wall-length mirror provides the ideal seating. shoes are displayed along thin stainless-steel bars that barely interrupt the continuity of the smooth sheet of light extending acroos the wall : a surface of fiberglass panelling lit from behind by fluorescent tubes. to reduce the glare from this backdrop, the designers selected ceiling lamps of the type often used on film sets to further illuminate the merchandise and to accentuate the lesding role played by the products on display. soft carpeting pampers bare feet. heating the sensuous surroundings to a feverish pitch is a vertical stainless-steel bar which has been used to present an array of intimate garments illuminated in red neon light, beckoning the imagination to enter the world of striptease. s.martin pearson, FRAME magazine