THE PROJECT IS THE PHYSICAL STORE OF THE CHINESE INDEPENDENT DESIGN BRAND, M ESSENTIAL.
IN RESPONSE TO THE BRAND’S MODERN ORIENTAL IDENTITY, LAYERING BECAME THE SPATIAL STRATEGY. THROUGH SEVERAL SLIDING
DOORS, THE SYMMETRICAL SPACE IS DIVIDED INTO MULTIPLE LAYERS OF DEPTHS AND SHADES, PROGRESSING IN A RHYTHM OF
RESTRAINING AND RELEASING. WHEN THE SLIDING DOORS ARE FULLY OPEN, STANDING ON THE CENTRAL AXIS OUTSIDE THE STORE,
THE SLIDING DOORS CREATE A SERIES OF FRAMING SCENES. LAYERS ARE EXTREMELY COMPRESSED, AND ONE’S SIGHT IS STRONGLY
GUIDED TO THE DEEPEST PART OF THE STORE. ONE CAN PERCEIVE ALL THE LAYERS WITHIN A GLANCE BUT CANNOT GET A FULL VIEW
OF EACH SPACE: HONEST YET MYSTERIOUS. THE DESIRE TO DIVE INTO INFINITY HAS NEVER BEEN SO STRONG BEFORE. WHEN THE
SLIDING DOORS ARE PARTIALLY CLOSED, THE DEPTH OF THE SPACE CHANGES. THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE SLIDING DOORS
FLEXIBLY DEFINE THE LAYERS OF PRIVACY....
THE DUALITY OF “BLACK” AND “WHITE” PERMEATES THE SPACE AS ANOTHER ORIENTAL THEME. PARTITION WALLS AND SLIDING DOORS
ARE WHITE, DIVIDED BY SLIM BLACK FRAMING LINES, A SHARP CONTRAST THAT SETS THE MODERN TONE OF THE SPACE. WHITE PINE
FLOORING IN THE RETAIL SPACE AND BLACK PINE FLOORING IN THE TRANSITIONAL SPACE DEFINE THE LAYERING. THE CASHIER’S
SPACE IS WRAPPED IN BLACK HIGH GLOSS LACQUER FINISHING WALLS, CREATING AN ULTRA-PRIVATE AREA. HERE, “BLACK” AND
“WHITE” ARE ABSTRACTED FROM THEIR COLOR ATTRIBUTES, WITH “BLACK” SYMBOLIZING PRIVACY AND “WHITE” SYMBOLIZING
OPENNESS, DEFINING THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE SPACE. “BLACK” IS THE APPARENT SECRET SIDE OF “WHITE”, WHILE THE REAL
TREASURE IS OFTEN HIDDEN IN THE DEEP. EXPLORING FURTHER INTO THE SPACE OF “BLACK”, THE GOLDEN EMBROIDERED FABRIC
FROM THE CENTURY-OLD BRAND SAHCO COVERS THE WALL. THE FINE METALLIC YARN GLOWS WITH A DELICATE LUSTER, AND THE LAYER
OF “GOLD” AS THE DEEPEST SECRET HAS FINALLY BEEN REVEALED.
A SIMPLE SYMBOL BECOMES THE MOTIF OF THE DISPLAY PROPS: LIKE THE EAVES OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE ARCHITECTURE, THE BASE
AND TOP OF THE DISPLAY PROPS ARE SLIGHTLY OVERHANGING, VARY ACCORDING TO THEIR FUNCTION. A LONG CABINET PASSES
THROUGH THE MAIN RETAIL SPACE, THE FUNCTION SPACE AND THE VIP ROOM, CREATING A GENTLE CONFLICT AND REINFORCING THE
PERCEPTION OF LAYERING. CRAFTSMANSHIP DETERMINES THE MATERIAL CHOICE. THE DISPLAY PROPS ARE MADE OF BLACK HIGH-GLOSS
LACQUER, COMPLEMENTED BY WHITE PINE AND EMBROIDERED FABRICS IN TRADITIONAL PATTERNS, DECORATING THE SIMPLE SHAPES
WITH A LIGHT COLOR. OFFICINA’S HAND-WROUGHT TREE CANDLE HOLDERS AND FRIEDEMANN BÜHLER’S TEXTURED WOODEN VESSELS ARE
PLACED IN VARIOUS CORNERS AS METAPHORS FOR NATURE, WHILE VIABIZZUNO LAMPS CREATE RIPPLES OF LIGHT ON THE CEILING,
BRINGING ORIENTAL TRADITIONS INTO THE PRESENT IN AN ELEGANT MOOD.