Portsmouth School of Architecture (ARCH)

I joined Portsmouth in 2004 having worked as an Interior Designer specialising in retail, creating interiors for well-known brands worldwide. I currently teach on a number of undergraduate courses for The School of Architecture. My research interests centre on the nature of experiential interiors in relation to current ethical, environmental and sociological debates, and their interactions with retail and branding. I also explore spaces through my work as a practitioner, which informs my research and I continue to collaborate with students and clients on projects as diverse as a mobile phone store concept for Vertu, retail and exhibition design for the Isle of Wight Zoo, and a concept for a Japanese tea house in London.

Current Research

I am currently exploring the market hall as a tool for understanding social engagement in a state of transient occupation, through the mapping of shopping as a sensory experience, as opposed to the contemporary idea of the supermarket as a ‘destination’, and have given one conference presentation on this so far.

Publications

Books

Mesher, L. (2010). Basics interior design: retail design. Lausanne: AVA Publishing. ISBN 978-2940411221.

Conference Papers

Mesher, L. (2009). The market space and place. At Occupation: negotiations with constructed space. Brighton: University of Brighton.