Fixtures are the store
Strip a store back to its shell and most of what a shopper remembers goes with it. The display tables, wall bays, showcases and the cash counter carry the product, set the height everything is seen at, and decide how the brand feels in the hand. They are also where the budget goes: carpentry, panelling and fixtures are typically the biggest line in a fit-out, 35 to 45% in our store interior cost breakdown.
This guide covers the typical sizes designers start from, the materials that hold up to daily trade, how to write a fixture brief, and how to use our new Fixture & Furniture tool to see a piece before anyone cuts a board.
Typical retail fixture sizes
These are the ranges most retail designers start from. They are typical, not rules: your product, your customer and your local accessibility code decide the final number.
| Fixture | Typical size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Display table | 750–900 mm high; tops around 1200–1800 × 600–900 mm | Nesting sets step down to around 450 mm for a pyramid. |
| Wall bay | Modules of 900–1200 mm wide; 2100–2400 mm high; shelves 300–450 mm deep | Keep best sellers between waist and eye height. |
| Gondola | 1200–1600 mm high in open-plan stores, higher in grocery; 1200 mm modules | Shopped from both sides. Lower runs keep sightlines across the floor. |
| Cash counter | 900–1050 mm working top | Where the ADA or a similar code applies, part of it no higher than 915 mm (36 in). |
| Glass showcase | 900–1000 mm high counter cases; 1800–2100 mm tall cases | Specify the lock, the lighting and how staff open it. |
| Garment rail | Around 1050 and 2100 mm for double hang; around 1700–1800 mm for long hang | Allow the full garment length plus clearance above the floor. |
Fixtures also set your aisles. Leave a clear accessible route between them (often at least 915 mm, more on main aisles) and read our retail store layout guide before fixing positions.
Materials that survive a store
A fixture is touched, leaned on, cleaned and restocked every day. Pick the face for the brand and the build for the abuse.
- Timber veneer on board (oak, walnut, ash): warm and premium, but specify a hard-wearing lacquer and solid-timber edges where hands and trolleys hit.
- Powder-coated steel: thin, strong frames for rails, wall systems and table bases. Name the colour by a standard such as RAL so the fixture maker can match it.
- Stone and terrazzo: beautiful tops and plinths, heavy and slow to make. Check the floor load and the lead time.
- Brass and bronze finishes: usually a plated or PVD finish on steel rather than solid metal. Ask how it ages under hand contact.
- Glass: toughened or laminated for showcases, with polished edges.
Write a fixture brief
A good fixture brief answers five questions. The same five make a good AI prompt.
- What it holds. Folded denim, trainers, fragrance testers, a till and a bag drop.
- The size. Overall width, depth and height, and anything it must fit between.
- The materials. The main material and the accents.
- The details. Fluting, a recessed plinth, radiused corners, integrated lighting, drawers for stock.
- What it must not be. No glass on a children's floor, nothing taller than 1400 mm in the middle of the store.
Design a fixture with AI
Fixture & Furniture is a new tool in the RetailDesign.ai Tools workspace. You describe one piece and get two photoreal views of it.
- Pick the piece: display table, wall bay, gondola, cash counter, glass showcase, plinth, garment rail, shelving unit or seating.
- Set the store type, style and main material. The store type decides what product appears if you choose to style it.
- Type the size, for example 1800 W × 900 D × 850 H mm. It is placed last in the prompt so the image keeps those proportions.
- Choose how it's shown: a studio shot on a plain backdrop, like a catalogue photo, or standing in a store. Bare, or styled with generic, unbranded product.
- Describe the details and press Generate. You get a three-quarter view and a straight-on front view in under a minute.
Try this prompt: “A long white oak display table with a fluted base, two shallow drawers for stock on the staff side and a honed travertine top.” Piece: Display table · Style: Warm natural · Size: 2000 W × 900 D × 850 H mm · Studio shot · Empty.
To change one thing afterwards, such as a stone top instead of oak, open the result in Edit Image and describe the change. To see the piece in the whole store at real dimensions, place your fixtures in Design Studio.
What AI fixture design can't do
It makes a design image, not a shop drawing. It won't give you board thicknesses, fixings, cable routes or a cutting list, and a stated size guides the proportions rather than guaranteeing them to the millimetre. Use the images to agree the look with your client, then have the joiner or fixture maker draw, engineer and price it.
Once the fixtures are agreed, the next step is dressing them. Read our visual merchandising guide.
FAQ
What is the standard height of a retail display table?
Most retail display tables are 750 to 900 mm (30 to 36 in) high. Nesting tables step down from there, often to around 450 mm, so the lowest tier can hold larger product and the tallest one sits at counter height.
How high should a cash counter be?
The working top is typically 900 to 1050 mm. Where accessibility law applies (for example the ADA in the US), part of the counter must be lower, usually no higher than 915 mm (36 in) along at least 915 mm of its length. Check your local code.
Can AI design retail fixtures?
AI can design how a fixture looks: its form, proportions, materials and details, from a sentence and a size. It does not produce shop drawings. Use the images to agree the design with the client, then have a joiner or fixture maker draw and engineer it.
What is the difference between a gondola and a wall bay?
A wall bay is shelving fixed to a wall, shopped from one side. A gondola is freestanding, shopped from both sides, and sits in the floor's aisles. Both are usually built in repeating modules so they can be reconfigured.
