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    AB Lafitte creates colourful and “eccentric” music venue in Oklahoma City

    This live music venue in Oklahoma City was created by local interior designer AB Laffite as a “psychedelic funhouse” using carnival lighting strips and a palette of sunset hues.

    Resonant Head occupies a previously vacant building on SW 25th Street in the historic Capitol Hill neighbourhood, south of the Oklahoma River from the city’s downtown area.
    While designing the Resonant Head venue, the angled ceiling proved to be the toughest constraintWith a capacity of over 250, the renovated space is intended for hosting small performances within a visually stimulating and immersive environment.
    “Designed to be a carnival-like playground for both fans and artists, the venue reintroduced the building’s original mid-century modern architecture as a psychedelic funhouse,” said Laffite.
    The bar area was given a nostalgic diner-style feel”The goal was to create an eccentric design that maintained the character of the building while also straying from the typical dark and industrial music venue aesthetic,” she added.

    The renovation of the building involved negotiating the “wildly angular” original concrete ceiling, which is the most prominent visual element and proved to be the biggest design constraint.
    A central column was wrapped in gold mirror strips and the ceiling ribs were edged with carnival lightsThe designer chose to highlight its geometric faux coffering using four different sunset-hued paints and attaching strings of multi-coloured carnival lights to its ribs.
    A central column, from which the ceiling panels emanate, was wrapped in thin strips of gold mirror and encircled by a counter for placing drinks.
    A red leather banquette tucked into a niche provides a seating areaAt the back of the venue, the raised stage area is painted red, lined with iridescent silver curtains and illuminated by thin neon tubes.
    The diner-esque bar combines yellow-gold laminate, chrome edge banding, amber glass blocks, mosaic tiles and terrazzo flooring to create a nostalgic feel. “1970s club swank was the goal,” Laffite said.

    Mutuus Studio designs inclusive Supernova nightclub in Seattle

    To one side of the bar is a seating area, where red leather banquettes are set into a niche in the wall and accompanied by cafe tables and chairs. Sconces by lighting brand Rich Brilliant Willing add a soft glow.
    Meanwhile, “the restrooms are destinations in themselves,” according to Laffite, who added checkerboard tiles, retro-coloured glazed sink and urinals, and pilled-shaped mirrors.
    In the bathrooms, the designer added checkerboard tiles, retro-coloured sinks and pill-shaped mirrorsThe aim of the project overall was to create a unique spot for locals to enjoy music together, as well as to help revive a once-bustling commercial thoroughfare.
    “The conversion of this former department store (and later bar) into a music venue has returned a social gathering place back to the community, where it will hopefully become a cultural anchor in the revitalisation efforts of the Capitol Hill neighborhood,” said Laffite.
    The venue is located within a mid-century building in Oklahoma City’s Capital Hill neighbourhoodSelf-described as a Midwest-based designer, she founded her own studio in 2021 after working in the Los Angeles design industry for several years.
    Elsewhere in the US, other small performance venues and nightclubs to recently open include Supernova in Seattle, designed by Mutuus Studio to be an inclusive environment for all.
    The photography is by Justin Miers.

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    Ten built-in beds that are embedded into the fabric of the building

    From mattresses on concrete bases to beds encased within timber surrounds, this lookbook rounds up ten single, double and day beds that have been built into interiors.

    Some designers choose to integrate beds into the building’s wider structure to create cohesion throughout interiors, eliminating the need to add matching furniture.
    Built-in beds are often seen in buildings situated in warmer climates, such as Central America and the Mediterranean, where stone or concrete is used to keep spaces cool and to create bespoke, unmovable furniture.
    Incorporated beds are also a popular choice when designing wooden cabins, due to their space-saving nature and the way they lend themselves to creating a cosy atmosphere.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring lime plaster walls, red interior schemes and interiors informed by retro design.

    Photo by Spyros Hound PhotographyWooden Cave, Greece, by Tenon Architecture
    A double and a single bed were sunk into this striking cave-like hotel suite in Greece designed by Tenon Architecture, which is made from over 1,000 pieces of spruce wood.
    The tiered wooden stricture has a smooth, biomorphic appearance that recalls the grotto dwellings used by early humans.
    Find out more about Wooden Cave ›
    Photo by Rory GardinerCasa Alférez, Mexico, by Ludwig Godefroy
    Two stark bedrooms are found in architect Ludwig Godefroy’s brutalism-informed home, situated in a pine forest in Mexico.
    Concrete was used for the walls, ceilings, floors, storage and furniture of the house – the harshness of which is offset in the plush day bed in its office area.
    Find out more about Casa Alférez ›
    Photo is courtesy of Caspar ScholsCabin Anna, The Netherlands, by Caspar Schols
    A double bed – including headboard and bedding – was integrated into the floor of this modular cabin created by architectural designer Caspar Schols.
    The structure and some of the furniture within it are flat-packed, allowing the space to be reconfigured depending on the needs of the user.
    Find out more about Cabin Anna ›
    Photo by César BéjaVilla Petrico, Mexico, by CO-LAB Design Office
    A glazed arch-shaped door dictates the shape of the rest of this tunnel-like bedroom in a concrete holiday home in Tulum.
    Platforms are present throughout the bedroom, one of which acts as a broad base for an understated mattress bed.
    Find out more about Villa Petrico ›
    Photo by Jonas Bjerre-PoulsenSwedish forest retreat, Sweden, by Norm Architects
    A sunken day bed takes advantage of the dramatic views of a pine forest in this cabin by Norm Architects.
    Linen upholstery and pillows compliment the natural wood texture of the bed’s base and the rest of the floor – a combination that extends throughout the rest of the interior.
    Find out more about Swedish forest retreat ›
    Photo by Edmund SumnerCometa House, Mexico, by Mauricio Rocha and Gabriela Carrillo
    A rustic wall made up of irregularly shaped stones provides the backdrop for the pared-back built-in bed in this coastal home in Oaxaca.
    A jute mat separates the mattress from its wide stone base, which has built-in steps separating it from the rest of the space.
    Find out more about Cometa House ›
    Photo by Taiyo Watanabe4/Way House, USA, by Deegan-Day Design & Architecture
    A birch plywood platform bed blends into the interior of a house in California by Deegan-Day Design & Architecture.
    The bed is surrounded by integrated panelling with a shelf for books and has an angular footprint to accommodate a built-in bedside table.
    Find out more about 4/Way House ›
    Photo by José CamposChestnut House, Portugal, by João Mendes Ribeiro
    A double bed saves space in this small-scale rural cabin by sitting flush with the surrounding structure that makes up the floor.
    The mezzanine bed is flanked by a bedside table area on one side and a ladder platform on the other that allows access to the level above.
    Find out more about Chestnut House ›
    Photo by Yiorgis YerolymposNCaved house, Greece, by Mold Architects
    Pale bedsheets blend in with light-coloured cast concrete platform and steps in this split-level bedroom.
    The built-in bed allows for other design features to take centre stage in the double-height space, including the stone wall, lancet windows and exposed structural beam.
    Find out more about NCaved house ›
    Photo by Ondřej BouškaCabin Above the Town, Czech Republic, by Byró Architekti
    A curtain separates a sleeping nook from the rest of this hilltop cabin’s open-plan interior.
    A single plywood volume snakes around the edge of the space and provides storage, seating and a bathroom as well as a built-in bed, with a further guest bed atop the structure accessible by a ladder.
    Find out more about Cabin Above the Town ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring lime plaster walls, red interior schemes and interiors informed by retro design.

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    Ronan Bouroullec creates pared-back furnishings for 17th-century chapel in Brittany

    Following the wildfires that ravaged Brittany’s Arrée mountains last summer, Ronan Bouroullec has reimagined the interior of the region’s historic Chapelle Saint-Michel de Brasparts as part of a full restoration.

    Originally built at the end of the 17th century, the chapel is a modest building without lighting or electricity, perched on top of a prominent hill that rises above the surrounding moorland.
    Chappelle Saint-Michel de Brasparts has undergone a full restorationBreton businessman François Pinault, founder of luxury group Kering, financed the chapel’s restoration after it was damaged during the wildfires, patching up its metre-thick stone walls, rammed-earth floors and the exposed oak frame supporting the slate roof.
    Bouroullec, who was born and raised in Brittany, remembers the chapel from his childhood and was compelled to design a new altar and several furnishings for the building as part of the refurbishment.
    Working in collaboration with local artisans, he used a trinity of roughly-hewn materials – granite, steel and glass – that would stand the test of time while reflecting the building’s rugged rural location.

    Ronan Bouroullec designed a new altar for the chapel”Heavy enough not to be moved, sturdy enough not to be damaged, rough enough not to require cleaning, the elements that Ronan Bouroullec has placed in the chapel must succeed, despite or because of these characteristics, in creating a sensory experience,” wrote Martin Bethenod, former CEO of Pinault’s Bourse de Commerce museum, in an introductory text for the project.
    “The bush-hammered granite, blurred glass, hammered steel, the choice of a galvanized finish to soften the contrast of the cross and candlesticks with the whiteness of the lime-rendered walls – each intervention combines sensations of roughness and softness, of force and tremor.”
    The granite altar is topped with a simple hammered-steel crossNuit celtique de Huelgoat granite – quarried less than 15 kilometres away from the chapel – was cut into three pieces before being worked by local stone mason Christophe Chini to create an altarpiece, its horizontal base and a console table for candles and offerings.
    Bethenod compares the dark stone, studded with shards of white, to “the starry night sky over the chapel, virtually devoid of light pollution”.

    Álvaro Siza combines geometric forms for white-concrete church in Brittany

    The metal elements – a simple cross and a group of three tall candle holders, all in hammered steel – were the result of another collaboration, this time between Bouroullec and Roscoff-based metalworker Mathieu Cabioch.
    Some of the candles stand directly on the altar while the rest are integrated into the Brutalist console table, which consists of a long slab of granite, seemingly supported by several of the steel candle holders.
    A mirrored glass disc is mounted centrally behind the altarThe final element in Bouroullec’s material trinity is glass, in the form of a large mirrored disc that hangs centrally behind the altar.
    Made by glassmakers from the Venice area, with whom Bouroullec has worked for several years, the piece was designed to create a dialogue with the two stained-glass windows in the apse, which are the chapel’s only surviving decorative element.
    “More than a mirror, more than an object, it is a light source without physical substance, as if a round hole had been made in the wall to reveal daylight, unpredictable and constantly changing,” said Bethenod.
    Steel candleholders are also integrated into a wall-mounted consoleBrittany is home to some of the world’s oldest standing architecture. Other projects making use of the region’s historic buildings include this conversion of a 17th-century barn into a printmaker’s studio.
    The first new church to be built in Brittany in the 21st century was completed by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira in 2018, featuring a sculptural composition of intersecting concrete forms.
    The photography is by Claire Lavabre courtesy of Studio Bouroullec.

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    Fettle revamps San Carlo restaurant with interiors informed by Milanese villas and gardens

    Architecture and design studio Fettle has unveiled the refurbished interior of the San Carlo restaurant in Liverpool, UK, which was informed by northern Italy’s coastline.

    Located in Liverpool’s city centre, Fettle’s refurbishment was designed to reinvigorate the restaurant and offer a “spectacularly opulent and contemporary take on traditional Italian dining”, the studio said.
    The lighting was chosen to create an overall softnessDuring the redevelopment, Fettle stripped the building back to its existing shell and redesigned each element, from the walls to the flooring.
    The 280-square-metre restaurant also contains a feature bar and a private dining room named The Rosa Room and Wine Sellar, which is located on the lower ground floor.
    The restaurant’s furniture was informed by Milanese villas and gardensSan Carlo’s colour palette takes cues from the hues of the northern Italian coastline and includes greens, blues and pinks.

    Fettle adorned the space with contrasting materials, including timber, brass and marble, which were softened by patterned upholstery made from mohair and leather.
    San Carlo’s colour palette takes cues from Italy’s coastlineThe furniture was designed specifically for the project and was informed by the furniture found in grand Milanese villas and gardens.
    This included fluted oak bar stools with green leather seats and brass bases, marble and timber tables, curved-legged dining chairs and velvet leather seating.
    Fettle aimed to create a space that had an “alluring ambience and timeless sophistication”.”The restaurant offers a spectacularly opulent and contemporary take on traditional Italian dining with elegant interiors inspired by Grand Milanese villas and gardens,” the studio said.
    The lighting was chosen to add a sense of softness to the interior, and includes a mixture of bespoke-designed statement chandeliers, pendant fillings and wall and table lamps to give the space an “intimate glow”.
    The lighting intends to give the space an “intimate glow”.The floor was equipped with colourful terrazzo in a mix of cream, orange and green tones, while the walls were clad in high gloss timber panelling.
    According to the architects, its colour is similar to that of luxury Italian sports cars and the water taxis of Venice.
    The restaurant was also equipped with antiqued mirrored panels that aim to add to the glamour of the space.

    Fettle returns The Georgian hotel in Santa Monica to its 1930s “glory”

    Three eclectic abstract murals by Los Angeles-based artist Jessalyn Brooks are positioned opposite the bar and on the rear wall of the restaurant.
    “We’re excited to unveil the transformation of San Carlo Liverpool,” said the managing director of San Carlo, Marcello Distefano. “The new design is representative of the evolution of San Carlo, a journey we began in 1992.”
    Antiqued mirrored panels decorate the restaurantFettle was founded by designers Tom Parker and Andy Goodwin and specialises in hospitality design and interior architecture.
    Previous projects include the restoration of an art deco hotel in Santa Monica, California, and the conversion of a members’ club for 1 Warwick members’ club in Soho, London.
    Other interior projects recently featured on Dezeen include the transformation of a three-story home into a restaurant in Bogotá that uses natural materials and a travelling gallery by multidisciplinary designer Vanessa Heepen, which includes vintage furniture pieces.

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    Eclectic Warsaw apartment interior designed as “elaborate puzzle”

    Walnut burl and terrazzo accents are combined with chunky statement furniture in this apartment in Warsaw, which Polish studio Mistovia has renovated for an art director and her pet dachshund.

    Located in the city’s Praga Północ neighbourhood, the 45-square-metre flat is set within a 1950s estate designed by Polish architects Jerzy Gieysztor and Jerzy Kumelowski.
    The Warsaw apartment was renovated by MistoviaMistovia devised an eclectic material and colour palette when updating the interior, which the studio describes as an “elaborate puzzle” of contrasting patterns.
    “The apartment is based on several dominant ‘cubes’,” said Mistovia founder Marcin Czopek. “Each of them has a different function, accentuated by various patterns through the use of veneer or colour.”
    Panels of swirly grey wood veneer feature in the living spaceThe living room is defined by a wall panelled in swirly grey wood veneer– originally designed by Memphis Group founder Ettore Sottsass for Alpi in the 1980s – while the bathroom is obscured behind a wall of glass blocks.

    The kitchen is now connected to the lounge to create one open-plan space, filled with statement pieces including a misshapen vase and the molten-looking Plopp stool by Polish designer Oskar Zieta, set against the backdrop of floor-to-ceiling walnut-burl cabinets.
    A tortoiseshell cabinet defines the bathroomTerrazzo was used to form chunky black-and-white legs for the kitchen’s window-side breakfast bar as well as an entire burnt-orange table in the dining area.
    “A muted base – bright, uniform micro cement flooring and walls with a delicate texture – allowed for the use of geometric forms, rich in interesting structures and bold patterns,” Czopek said.

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    Designed for an art director and her dog, the apartment features a similarly striking bathroom.
    Here, gridded monochrome tiles and glass-brick walls are paired with a statement standalone sink, featuring squat cobalt-blue legs that support a tortoiseshell cabinet crowned by a triptych mirror.
    The single bedroom includes purple and marble accentsA purple wardrobe complements the rectilinear marble headboard in the apartment’s singular bedroom, adding to the boxy geometry of the home.
    Also in Warsaw, Polish studio Projekt Praga incorporated mid-century elements and pops of colour into a dumpling restaurant while local firm Noke Architects referenced the high waters of Venice in a bar complete with sea-green floors and skirting tiles.
    The photography is by Oni Studio. 

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    Mattaforma considers “plants as clients” for Public Records outdoor space

    Local design studio Mattaforma has created a plant nursery and community space for Public Records, a music venue and restaurant space in Brooklyn.

    The Nursery at Public Records sits in an outdoor space adjacent to the Gowanus institution’s other programming, a vegan cafe, club and listening lounge. It serves as a nursery for plants and as an outdoor music venue.
    Public Records expanded its programming to an adjacent empty lot, adding a DJ booth and plantsThe team at Public Records wanted to turn the adjacent, empty lot into a functioning space.
    To do so while limiting new construction, the team took advantage of several storage units already on the site, positioning them as both separators and inhabitable spaces for both humans and plants.
    Mattaforma created a system of wooden trusses to shelter the plants and equipment”The brief was an over winter nursery for their garden plant collection, as well as a community space that people could enjoy and learn about plants,” Mattaforma co-founder Lindsey Wilkstrom told Dezeen.

    “With this in mind, we focused first on designing a space that relied solely on passive heating in the winter, treating the plants as our clients first, then adapting a plant-oriented space towards humans as our secondary clients.”
    The trusses are lined with polycarbonate panelsTo house the plants, Mattaforma installed wooden pratt trusses lined with polycarbonate panels.
    The trusses were made on-site out of Microllam R laminated-veneer lumber (LVL), a manufactured wood that combines micro-layers of different kinds of woods like fir and larch.
    The space is meant to hold plants year-roundAccording to Wilkstrom, the material was chosen for its durability and also its manufacturer, Weyerhaeuser.
    “[It’s] the first American timber company to call for regenerative forest stewardship over 100 years ago and who still maintains today some of the highest ethical standards in their replanting initiatives, meeting SFI certification and transparency in their evolving ESG performance metrics,” said Wilkstrom of the company.
    Vents were included in the trusses to allow for passive cooling during the summer months. The trusses also extend out over the sound system and DJ booth to celebrate the DJ booth “like an altar”.

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    Public Records also created the sound system for The Nursery, working with audio engineer Devon Ojas and manufacturer NNNN to develop a custom system that includes two blue-green and black speakers.
    In addition, the team brought in engineering firm Arup to advise on the acoustics of the space and New York-based Cactus Store to supply additional vegetation for the site.
    Besides the plants within the containers, trees and a grove of bamboo were installed around the concrete dance floor.
    Sustainable timber was used for the trusses”The Nursery is intended to be an ecological/urban intervention that serves to bring people and plants together, in reaction to the challenge of re-imagining an asphalt parking lot,” said Public Records, which was founded by Shane Davis and Francis Harris and has existed on the north end of Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal since 2017.
    The once-industrial areas of Brooklyn have seen a variety of art and culture institutions moving in past years. Recently, a derelict powerplant, once known for its graffiti culture, was renovated by Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron into an arts centre.
    Elsewhere in the borough, Ennead Architects and Rockwell Group converted a 19th-century train warehouse into a headquarters for a charitable organisation.
    The photography is by Adrianna Glaviano.

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    Luchetti Krelle brings laid-back luxury to social spaces of Manly Pacific hotel

    Spicy shades of turmeric, cinnamon and ginger feature alongside mosaic tiles and hand-painted murals in the public spaces of this hotel in Sydney, following a makeover from local studio Luchetti Krelle.

    The renovation encompassed Manly Pacific’s lobby as well as its 55 North bar and a few neighbouring lounge areas, all located on the hotel’s ground floor, which opens directly onto Manly Beach.
    Luchetti Krelle has overhauled the lobby of Sydney’s Manly Pacific hotelIn the reception area, Luchetti Krelle created an intimate lounge setting to bring a sense of warmth and welcome into the otherwise vast white space while creating a link to the more richly decorated drinking spaces beyond.
    Tactile sofas and clubby armchairs are clustered around a chequerboard table looking onto a fireplace that mixes tile and timber in a mid-century-influenced design.
    Latticed screens create a loose separation between Manly Pacific’s reception and the adjoining bar area, which introduces a richer palette of colours and materials to forge a sense of laid-back luxury.

    The studio also renovated the adjoining bar”A loose luxury defines our approach to the reappointment of the bar and neighbouring lounge areas,” Luchetti Krelle said.
    “Layered textures, spiced tonal triggers and punchy patterns were selected to energise the drinking spaces with a graceful attitude that prioritised home comfort.”
    55 North is centred on an impressive island bar that curves outwards into the room to create a sense of welcome.
    Crazy paving in autumnal hues defines the bar areaThe bar’s outlines are mirrored by the lines of the bulkhead ceiling above, creating a shape reminiscent of a clamshell that draws the eye across the room and brings a cosy intimacy to the bar area.
    “Hospitality design is about making people feel welcome, relaxed and confident so less noticeable elements drove our process,” the studio said.
    “We lowered the bar’s original height so smaller guests didn’t feel intimidated by its stature, adding custom leather swivel stools with curved returns to encourage lengthier sittings.”
    Lattice screens help to loosely divide the spaceThe client had originally requested a new bar closer to the lobby. But Luchetti Krelle chose instead to improve the existing design to conserve waste and save valuable build time.
    “As with all hospitality projects, there is an added pressure to complete the build and installation within deadline, given commercial pressures to open for business,” the studio said.
    “So we saved time finding creative solutions to transform existing elements, avoiding demolition and the waste of materials.”
    A series of lounge spaces lead off the barOpening off the main bar area is a series of lounges.
    Through the careful use of curves, arches and latticed screens, Luchetti Krelle designed these spaces to flow from one to another with a clear sense of continuity, while each area maintains its own distinct character and sense of purpose.
    “We created adjoining rooms to encourage hotel guests to treat the space like an extension of their home during the day,” the studio said.

    Luchetti Krelle fashions playful interiors for RAFI restaurant in Sydney

    On the beach side, a sunroom takes its cues from the vista with striped and patterned upholstery in a palette of cooling blues that tether the space to the seascape beyond.
    To the rear of the bar, a former gaming room has become an expansive cocktail lounge, where arches frame three intimate booths and the eye is led across the room by an underwater scene, painted onto Venetian plaster by local mural studio Steady Hand Studio.
    Cool blue tones connect the sunroom to Manly Pacific’s beachside settingTiles are the protagonist material of this project, defining each area.
    “Intricate autumnal crazy paving lures eyes through latticed screens that lightly separate the lobby and bar,” said Luchetti Krelle.
    “Waves of fanned pearl-hued marble mosaics accentuate the rear lounge’s sophistication. Within the front sun lounge, tessellated Indian green and Carrara marble mosaic arrangements mimic the effect of a rug.”
    The sunroom opens straight onto Manly BeachTimber, too, plays a large part in the design, used across walls, ceilings, arches and booths – particularly in the bar.
    “It was important to use varied timber species, including Blackbutt and walnut, to add textural depth and warm shades,” the studio said.
    A variety of plaster finishes introduce another level of texture while helping to convey a sense of history and permanence, according to Luchetti Krelle.
    A hand-painted mural dominates the cocktail lounge in the rearThese include the teal plaster applied to the bulkhead surround of the main bar, which features a glossy underside to bring a sense of lightness to the structure.
    And in the ocean-side lounge, the pale sand shade of the fireplace wall cools the space during summer, reflecting the sunlight.
    Seating booths are enveloped in cosy archesThe Manly Pacific is among a number of hospitality projects that Luchetti Krelle has completed in Sydney over the last two years.
    Among them is a bar set inside a former butcher shop as well as the restaurant RAFI, characterised by vivid abstract paintings and patterned floors.
    The photography is by Tom Ferguson.

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    FOG Architecture adds playful tailoring motifs to Xiaozhuo boutique in Shanghai

    Chinese architecture studio FOG Architecture has completed a shop for local fashion boutique Xiaozhuo on Julu Road in central Shanghai that features oversized buttons and zippers.

    The 300-square-metre shop features tactile surfaces and playful motifs that reference the process of tailoring.
    The fashion boutique is located in central ShanghaiFOG Architecture used a glazed facade to open up the front of the shop, allowing plenty of natural daylight into the space while blurring the line between the interiors and the street to create a transitional waiting area.
    Beams from an original building on the site were kept and painted red. These support a roof installation comprised of a series of puffy pillows, arranged next to one another and covered in a canvas-like material to create a soft texture.
    A pavilion-like facade was designed to blur the interior and exterior”The result is an exterior of the shop that looks like a ‘small pavilion’,” explained FOG Architecture. “The red columns, the flat roof resembling overlapping tiles, and the antique style stone seats all contribute to this spatial image.”

    “Retail display is the project’s preset function but the pavilion-like exterior challenges it and adds the possibility for leisure, entertainment and social,” the studio added.
    “The front space not only serves as the connection between the shop and the street, but also creates an experimental space that allows contrasting events happen.”
    The entrance of the shop features a grid wallThe entrance of the shop also features a symmetrical gridded wall. Its design was informed by a skylight in the site’s original building, and creates a light-and-shadow effect that adds animation to the wall.
    Square tiles were selected as the main material of the floor and wall in the waiting area, while graphic striplights were installed between the gaps in the ceiling to match the straight lines of the gridded wall.
    Tailoring elements were used as furnishing throughout the shopFollowing the waiting area visitors enter the main area of the shop, where product display and fitting area are arranged on the west side. Packaging, inventory and other supporting functions are located on the east side.
    FOG Architecture decided to use the tools and accessories commonly used in tailoring as the main design narrative of the shop, in response to the fashion brand’s identity.

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    These include red seams, oversized buttons and zipper motifs, and sinuous metallic clothing racks designed to look like sewing thread that add a sense of fun and surprise to the off-white backdrop.
    “The waiting area and the product display area are in sharp contrast in terms of palette, material, shape, and scale — stone versus fabric, light grey versus off-white, straight lines versus curved surfaces — allowing the former to become a transitional area of functions and styles, connecting the interiors to the exteriors, while guiding customer behaviours by shifting views and texture,” the studio said.
    The fitting rooms at the centre of the shop are wrapped in canvas-like materialThe newly polished interior wall is wrapped in a material that resembles a mix of linen and leather and was created by mixing canvas, plush fabric and texture paint.
    The curved outline of the canvas-clad fitting rooms serves as the visual centrepiece of the space.
    Sinuous metallic clothing racks resemble sowing threadAccording to the studio, all finishing materials in the shop were sourced from the fashion brand’s leftover materials from its production line.
    FOG Architecture was founded by Zheng Yu and Zhan Di and has offices in London, Shanghai and Chongqing.
    Previously the studio has completed flagship stores for ToSummer in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Super Seed’s Hangzhou store featuring kinetic display.
    The photography is by INSPACE.
    Project credits:
    Design team: Zou Dejing, Huang Yingzi, Wang Shengqi, Zhunag Shaokai, Zheng Yu, Zhan DiLighting design: Liben Design, Zhang XuConstruction: Shanghai Guqin Construction Engineering Decoration Co., Ltd.Furnishing: Dongguan Lianwei Furniture Co., Ltd.Structure consultant: Tao Xinwei

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