One of London's most famous department stores, Selfridges, has now opened a "Silence Room," where tired shoppers can seek refuge from the masses.
Selfridge's founder Harry Gordon Selfridge came up with the idea where shoppers could "retire from the whirl of bargains and the build up of energy," says the department store's website.
The high-end department stores website reported that the idea of the Silence Room dates back to 1909 when the founder himself created the room.
The 2013 opening of the new Silence Room was designed by Alex Cochrane Architects and has an "insulated inner-sanctum, shielded from the noise and human traffic of the store."
The Silence Room is part of Selfridges No Noise initiative that celebrates calm and quiet.
"As we become increasingly bombarded with information and stimulation, the world is becoming a noisier place. In an initiative that goes beyond retail, we invite you to celebrate the power of quiet, see the beauty in function and find calm among the crowds," says Selfridges website on the No Noise initiative.
The No Noise initiative also includes meditation pods which are installed around the store that have built in headsets, reports CNN.
We're all suffering from overload and we wanted to offer up a slice of silence as an experiment, but we didn't want to do it in a heavy-handed way," Selfridges creative director Alannah Weston said to WWD.
Selfridges also opened the Quiet Shop that has products which do not have branding on it including La Mer, Beats By Dr. Dre headphones, Jil Sander dresses and Heinz bottles that have all been debranded.
Selfridges & Co., 400 Oxford Street, London W1A 1AB, United Kingdom style.selfridges.com
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