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    Yatofu fosters “relaxed holiday atmosphere” in Jianze showroom

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    Design studio Yatofu has completed a furniture showroom in Hangzhou, China, featuring a playful pastel colour palette and a display area housed on a steel-mesh platform.

    The 80-square-metre retail space belongs to Chinese design brand Jianze and forms part of an emerging cultural district in the city’s Liangzhe New Town.
    Jianze’s facade features a floor-to-ceiling opening with retractable glazed doorsYatofu set out to create a “relaxed holiday atmosphere” inside the showroom, which was influenced by the semi-public garden terraces found in European cities and features a full-height opening with retractable glazed doors that connect it with the outdoors.
    “This blurring of the boundary between the inside and outside allows passing pedestrians to easily observe the activities that take place within the showroom while maintaining visual continuity between the street level and interior space,” the studio explained.
    A sage green steel platform creates an additional display areaInside the space, Yatofu used contrasting colours and materials to portion up the floor area while introducing a whimsical touch to reflect Jianze’s products.

    One example is the decision to juxtapose glossy white floor tiles and rough pink micro-cement to create a visual separation between different zones.
    The space is divided by contrasting flooring”The playfulness of the flooring’s colour and configuration evokes a sense of joy and vibrancy, inviting visitors to linger and explore the brand and its products with wonder and curiosity,” said Yatofu.
    The delicate colour scheme also contrasts with the raw concrete ceiling, where exposed ducting and lighting tracks add to the industrial feel.
    The studio designed the showroom as a versatile space for eventsClose to the centre of the open room, a lightweight steel mezzanine provides additional space for displaying some of Jianze’s furniture. A spiral stair in one corner offers a fun and space-efficient way of accessing the platform.
    The raised enclosure is clad in a perforated steel mesh that allows its contents to remain visible as visitors walk around the space below.

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    The structure is painted a light shade of sage green that complements the pink micro-cement walls and floors, adding to the calming feel of the interior.
    Built-in cabinets and shelving made from pale birch wood add tone and texture to the space. The wood was also used to create a monolithic desk in one corner that functions as a service and payment area.
    Steel pegs form an adjustable display systemOn a nearby wall, rows of detachable stainless steel pegs form an adjustable display system that can be used to support various products.
    This use of flexible displays combined with the unconventional partitioning of space contributes to “an experience that exists somewhere between a pop-up and conventional showroom”, according to Yatofu.
    The mezzanine was wrapped in perforated metal meshThe versatile space can function both as a showroom and a place for hosting events such as exhibitions or markets, in particular thanks to its connection with the surrounding public realm.
    “The showroom invites its visitors to connect to the brand through a concept that communicates joy, ease, acceptance and a willingness to share in the appreciation of lifestyle and home,” the studio said.
    The platform was painted sage green to complement the pink walls and floorsYatofu was founded in Helsinki, Finland, in 2017 and now operates globally, working across disciplines including interior architecture, product and furniture design, visual communication and strategic design.
    The studio has previously converted a post office in Zhejiang into a boldly coloured gift shop and events space, and designed the interiors for a teahouse in Helsinki featuring a palette of brick, oak and oxidised steel.
    The photography is by Wen Studio.

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      Studio8 transforms 1930s Hangzhou villa into hotpot restaurant

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      Promotion: Chinese architecture practice Studio8 has renovated the interior of a 1930s villa in Hangzhou, China, transforming it into a hotpot restaurant and cocktail bar that celebrates the building’s history.

      The Gud restaurant and bar includes a roof terrace, dining space on the upper floors and bar on the ground floor.
      The 496-square-metre space occupies a three-storey building that was built in 1939, as well as a later-built extension and the ground floor of an adjacent property.
      Antique hotpots are displayed throughout the interiorAlthough the villa had previously undergone a number of renovations, when designing the restaurant Studio8 aimed to maintain the building’s original features, including the street-facing facade.
      Service areas, including the kitchen, restroom and staircase, are located in the extension and adjacent building, leaving the full space of the historic villa for restaurant dining and the cocktail bar.

      The cocktail bar features red velvet seatingThe Gud restaurant specialises in hotpots, which lead Studio8 to study the culture of the cuisine and introduce aspects of it into the interior design, creating a “museum-like experience”.
      The project’s design was informed by three stages of making and experiencing hotpots – the heat from the fire that cooks it, water as the main medium of the food, and the elevation of the flavour coming from the steam.
      Studio8 used the themes of “heat, medium and elevation of flavour” to influence the function, materials, textures and light used in each space.
      The restaurant interior was informed by hotpot cuisineThe cocktail bar on the ground floor of the historic villa was designed to be a lively space. It features a red floor, a fireplace, structural columns that display antique hotpots and red velvet sofas.
      Part of the original brick wall was left exposed and a recessed mirrored ceiling at the perimeter of the room makes the space feel larger and more luxurious.
      The interior nods to the building’s history”As the first element, heat is a fundamental design factor on the first floor, where human interactions were planned out accordingly,” said Studio8.
      “The aim was to create a warmer and more welcoming space at the beginning of the hotpot experience, where people and friends meet first, have a cocktail and wait for everyone to arrive.”
      The restaurant features glass-brick nichesOn the upper floor is the restaurant’s main dining area, which features glass-brick niches in the walls where windows used to be.
      At the sides of the dining area, Studio8 opened up the ceiling to expose the wooden roof structure.
      The third floor includes a private dining room”After passing through the heated cocktail bar, comes the second element, water – the medium that reunites all elements,” said Studio8.
      “Family and friends are seated together in groups around the round tables on the second floor for the food experience, a process that the architects relate to water reconstructing the atoms of the ingredients.”
      A roof terrace overlooks the cityThe building’s original timber staircase was removed and a new enclosed staircase that connects the three floor levels was added in the patio area.
      The staircase has double glazed U-shaped glass partitions along its floors with a “lighting system to represent the continuous energy flow transition”.
      A terrace and private dining room are located on the third floor of the villa.
      A new enclosed staircase that connects the three floor levels was added in the patio area.”Here, the customers are reconnected with the city and able to look at it from different heights and angles, corresponding to the last element, steam, the elevation of taste,” said Studio8.
      “The simply designed interior shows off the geometric shape of the attic, while benches on the roof allow customers to have a more exclusive interaction with the city.”
      The staircase has double glazed U-shaped glass partitions along its floorsStudio8 is currently working on a number of renovation projects that aim to respect the history of the building, including the transformation of hotels and restaurants.
      The photography is by Sven Zhang.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for Studio8 as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      FOG Architecture creates kinetic display for Super Seed's Hangzhou store

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      Chinese studio FOG Architecture has added over a hundred moving display boxes to skincare brand Super Seed’s latest retail store in Hangzhou, China.

      The studio installed 168 kinetic semitransparent acrylic boxes in the main product display area of the 300-square-metre store.
      Its aim was for the boxes to help create a variety of different display combinations, while also encouraging more interactions between the visitors and the products.
      Over one hundred movable acrylic display boxes are installed at the storeAn electric motor moves the boxes, which were programmed to move vertically in two different ways.
      Under the static mode, the boxes can move up and down to one of three height levels, while under the dynamic mode, seven height levels can be selected.

      FOG Architecture uses steel ropes and stranded wires to hang the boxes from the ceiling and selected 20 millimetres per second as their moving speed after multiple tests, to ensure maximum security and smooth movement.
      The boxes can move up and down at various heights”It challenges the divorce between fixtures and furnishings in traditional spaces by softening the borderlines between itself and the walls, floor, ceiling, and lighting,” FOG Architecture said of the installation.
      “This novel installation redefines the formal expression of the functionality of shelves, producing a unique spatial experience,” it added.
      Display areas can be easily transformed for different purposesThe studio has also designed a series of modular chairs to go with the display boxes. These wooden chairs can be placed next to the acrylic boxes when they’re at floor level, helping to create a seating and display area.
      “Unique shopping experiences rely on the creative interpretation of conventional spaces and the innovative application of everyday functionalities,” said the studio.
      “In this case, we envisioned a retail method different from packed shelving units, and proposed a multipurpose, interactive, and interesting display structure.”

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      Next to the product display area, there are five “labs” where visitors can try out the products. FOG Architecture used metal counters to give this area a futuristic feel that would highlight Super Seed’s technology and research background.
      At the entrance of the store, an inflatable wall adds softness to the otherwise hard space where metal, glass and acrylic are the main materials.
      Metal counters are used to make the space feel like a labVarious plant exhibitions can be found throughout the store in a nod to the fact that the skincare brand is plant-based.
      Dried plants were placed in capsule-shaped containers, while green plants were mixed with the beauty products in the acrylic display boxes, creating an intriguing visual effect through the frosted semitransparent boxes.
      An inflatable wall installation is used to soften the spaceFOG Architecture was founded by Zheng Yu and Zhan Di and has offices in London, Shanghai and Chongqing.
      Its recently finished projects include fragrance brand To Summer’s flagship store in Shanghai, which was longlisted in the large retail interiors category of Dezeen Awards 2022.
      The photography is by SFAP.
      Project credits:
      Design team: Deng Ye, Zou Dejing, Hou Shaokai, Zhang Wanyi, Jiang Lu, Zhan Di, Zheng YuLighting design: Zhang Xu (LB Design)Installation Design: Shanghai Faithture Props Co., Ltd.Structure Consultant: Tao XinweiManaging Contractor: Youlong Jinsheng

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      Superimpose Architecture creates subterranean conference centre based on Victorian shopping arcade

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      Superimpose Architecture used a traditional shopping-arcade typology to transform the dark basement of a commercial development in Hangzhou, China, into The Arcade conference centre.

      Designed to appeal to a young audience, The Arcade is a subterranean space made up of a wide L-shaped corridor lined with meeting rooms, a cafe, a lobby and an auditorium.
      The Arcade is a subterranean conference centre that was designed by Superimpose ArchitectureInserted between structural concrete columns, the spaces have white facades that resemble shop fronts.
      When designing the centre, Rotterdam and Beijing-based Superimpose Architecture looked to the design of traditional shopping arcades that were popular in Europe from the 18th to the 20th century.
      Wide L-shaped corridors are lined with work and social facilitiesThe Victorian arcades typically connected two busy streets and were lined on both sides with shops sitting under a series of arches supported by a colonnade.

      Lit by daylight funnelled in through glass skylights, the shopping arcades served as protected indoor retail environments and social gathering spaces.
      To combat the lack of natural light in The Arcade conference centre, Superimpose Architecture inserted two long linear “floating” acrylic ceiling boxes that mimic the colour and intensity of natural daylight along the ceiling of its two main corridors.

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      “The light boxes have an immediate visual impact in the basement and serve as a clear indicator for circulation,” said Superimpose Architecture. “The two axes can also be used as exhibition space.”
      Each conference room was given a distinct character through the use of different colours, light fixtures and materials.
      Acrylic ceiling boxes mimic natural daylightThe seating in the large auditorium is organised in a semi-circle that runs the entire length of the space to create a forum-like setting.
      Linear light boxes follow the seating arrangement, while wooden louvres and red carpet help to improve acoustics and add warmth. The facade of the auditorium can be fully opened, allowing the room to expand and become part of the entrance area for events.
      Other subterranean office interiors include this silver-coloured office extension in Munich and an office in London with a “speak-easy style” basement.

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