Chatswood Chase - this wasn't a renovation; it was a reinvention!

Design is not decoration, it’s storytelling and Vicinity Centres' Retail Design team does this expertly. It means a customer can shop global brands, independent retailers and grab a bite to eat and the whole experience feels cohesive. Retail Design Manager, Dimi Kapotas, explains how this is achieved by working with retailers to create authentic stories that meet both brand and centre expectations. Read on for an inside look at the recently re-opened Chatswood Chase in Sydney.

Vicinity: Dimi, tell us a little about your role as Retail Design Manager.

Dimi: I lead retail design delivery at scale, sitting as the cross section where brand intent meets construction reality. I connect brand, base-build and program so that concepts become trading environments and places our customers love to visit.

I adopt a tailored approach, adapting to the distinct priorities and expectations of each stakeholder group I collaborate with. For independent Mum and Dad operators, I act as a creative ally, helping them view design not as mere decoration, but as a powerful form of storytelling and a means of bringing their brand to life. It’s about shaping spaces that emotionally resonate with customers, authentically reflecting the brand’s purpose and narrative, and fostering a sense of connection that keeps people coming back.  For national brands, I translate corporate guidelines into centre-specific solutions that protect adjacencies, customer flow and operational discipline. For global luxury houses, I bridge the layers of global governance with local codes and buildability. Having worked on the brand side with the L’Oréal Group across luxury portfolios such as Lancôme, Giorgio Armani, and YSL Cosmetics, and having delivered the David Jones Sydney flagship store, I understand the nuance of maintaining brand purity without compromising execution speed.

Vicinity: What has been special about delivering Chatswood Chase?

Dimi: Scale and orchestration. We’ve brought together everything from family-owned food tenancies to major global names, each with different needs, cultures and expectations, all sharing the same stage. The challenge (and the joy) is in creating a design language that feels cohesive yet flexible, premium yet approachable.

The Chatswood Chase customer is well-travelled, design-aware, and accustomed to the best the world has to offer. With that in mind, our brief to retailers was clear: deliver something truly distinctive, an experience that surprises and delights right on their doorstep. The result? A series of exceptional fitouts, particularly within the luxury precinct, that are set to captivate and leave a lasting impression.

And then there’s the building itself,  a 40 year old structure made from several buildings stitched together over time. Once we stripped back the facades, we realised this wasn’t a renovation; it was a reinvention. We reshaped the mall, redefined circulation, added new vertical connections, and even created an entirely new level to expand our offer.

Vicinity: Which of our values was most at play throughout the project?

Dimi: Truly, all of them! Collaboration and integrity under pressure defined this project. We had global and local teams working across overlapping schedules and site conditions that changed daily, in the 48 hours before opening we peaked at around 1,400 workers on site! Transparency and quick decision-making kept the program intact. Respect meant listening first; excellence meant delivering without compromise...even when timelines tightened.

Ultimately, it was a constant exercise in negotiation and adaptability. We faced some challenging moments, but by leading with our values, we built trust, strengthened relationships, and delivered an outcome that exceeded customer expectations.

Vicinity: What are some of your favourite store designs?

Dimi: I have a few, each with fitouts that really demonstrate that retail design is storytelling built in three dimensions. The North Face is a store that breathes adventure. It fuses technology and nature, digital screens playing sweeping alpine landscapes, surrounded by living greenery and a colour-shifting bulkhead that changes tone throughout the day. It’s not just retail, it’s immersion that embodies the brand’s spirit of adventure. MECCA’s latest concept is pure joy, a playground for beauty lovers. It’s colourful, sustainable, and full of energy. From the recycled plastic display plinths to the whimsical carousel-like layout, it captures the brand’s spirit of self-expression and sustainability in one clever, dynamic space. Aēsop is another favourite, but you'll have to wait to hear more on that one - it's in progress and opening in December 2025.

Vicinity: Can you talk us through how Indigenous elements were incorporated into design?

Dimi: Not far from here, you’ll find the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, a culturally significant place for First Nations people, particularly the Darramuragal (Darug) and Gadigal people. We honour their deep connection to the land through design elements inspired by the sandstone formations, forest textures, and waterways of the national park.

If you look down on the steps at the main entrance on Victoria Avenue, you’ll see a trace of the path of Scott’s Creek – making that connection to the waterway which once flowed from the Chatswood area to Sydney Harbour.

Several of our luxury retailers, currently under construction as part of phase two, have collaborated with local Indigenous artists to create bespoke store environments that honour and reflect Country. These designs not only elevate the retail experience but also celebrate the rich cultural narratives of the land on which we stand. We’re genuinely excited to see these stories come to life, as they represent an important step in embedding local identity into the Centre.

Vicinity: What is the secret to delivering a project like this?

Dimi: For me, the secret ingredient behind any successful project is empathy. Empathy isn’t just about being nice,  it’s a strategic design tool. Empathy ties it all together. It turns negotiation into partnership and ambition into something tangible. Retail is living architecture. It is where human behaviour, design and brand purpose meet. That intersection is where I do my best work.

And fun! Vicinity’s culture is like that – committed, collaborative and full of energy. Retail should be fun. You can’t deliver something exceptional without enjoying the process. I treat the work with absolute seriousness but never take myself too seriously.

Vicinity: Tell us about you?

Dimi: Authenticity matters to me because it’s what unlocks creativity. When I’m excited about a project and working with people who are real and authentic, ideas flow freely and fearlessly!

I’ve lived and worked in five countries. I left Greece at 19 to study Architecture in the UK, then moved to Switzerland, later Dubai, and about 15 years ago love brought me to Australia to follow my partner, who’s Australian. I often say I’m a citizen of the world because every place I’ve lived has shaped the way I design and the way I see people.

Two things people almost always get wrong about me are my age and my accent. I have a spontaneous nature and still feel like a teenager most days, which probably explains why people think I’m younger than I am. And after living in so many places, I’ve collected accents along the way. I’ve been mistaken for French, Italian, Spanish, you name it. In truth, I’m a proud Greek with a global accent and a love for creativity that crosses borders!