Is This the Apple Store of the Future?

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Is Apple moving away from sleek white nothingness for its stores? The Verge tracked down images of one of the first stores to open since Apple guru Jony Ive moved into his new role as chief design officer. The starkest difference is the series of trees towering over Apple geniuses.

While there's still plenty of glass, the trees aren't the only new natural element. The Verge's Sean O'Kane writes: "The new store's look is much less stark. Potted trees and walls made with clay brick and wood seem to evoke a much different feeling than what you're probably used to when it comes to the inside of an Apple store." Phones, watches, and other gadgets also appear to be displayed on natural wood cabinets and tables.

There's been talk of redesigning Apple stores for some time, especially around the launch of the Apple Watch. 9to5Mac suggests that the trees with surrounding benches might be standard features in future stores going forward. See more photos of the new store in Brussels, Belgium here from website ANV.