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    Oft Interiors “bring a new zest to the Hong Kong design industry”

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    VDF studio profile: Oft Interiors is a Hong Kong-based design studio that specialises in cultural spaces and has overhauled the interiors of more than 50 different cinemas.It was founded in 2013 by CM Jao and Ken Cheung, two graduates from Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
    Jao, who has previously designed interiors for a global architecture firm, brings his experience in leisure spaces to the table, while Cheung contributes his knowledge of architectural design and environmental planning.

    K11 ArtHouse is another one of Oft Interiors’ cinema projects
    “Our team devotes its full efforts and passions to developing innovative work,” explained Cheung. “We aim to bring a new zest to the Hong Kong design industry.”

    In particular, the studio has made a name for itself by creating the interior design and brand positioning for cinemas and theatres across both Hong Kong and mainland China, often based on conceptual themes such as “water” or “deconstruction”.

    Palace Cinema in LCMall features undulating walls and ceilings
    One example of this is the Palace Cinema in Shanghai’s LCMall, which features a bright white lobby with undulating walls and ceilings, to represent the ripple effect that movies can have on their audiences.
    The ticket counters are fitted subtly into these curves while reflective glass panelling on the walls creates the appearance of looking at the still, mirrored surface of a lake.

    Hong Kong’s Emperor cinema uses an inky palette of materials to suggest pencil marks
    Another project, Hong Kong’s Emperor cinema, is located in a building that had undergone three major renovations.
    In order to bring this history to life, the studio decided to visualise the iterative process of drafting and redrafting by using materials of different textures such as inky black wallpaper, wood veneer, and nickel-plated countertops to evoke pencil marks of different strengths.
    The approach for another Shanghai movie theatre, the UA Cinema in West Gate Mall, was based on the idea of deconstructing the interior using irregular lines and patterns.
    In the lobby, the ceiling lacks a stable plane and instead features an asymmetrical beam that juts out at visitors from above to create a sense of surrealism.

    The studio has received various international awards for its interiors, including two German Design Awards in 2017, two International Property Awards and various A’ Design Awards throughout the years.
    Studio: Oft InteriorsWebsite: oftinteriors.comContact address: admin@oftinteriors.com
    About Virtual Design Festival
    Virtual Design Festival is the world’s first online design festival, taking place from 15 April to 30 June. For more information, or to be added to the mailing list, contact us at vdf@dezeen.com.
    A studio profile on Virtual Design Festival could expose your work to Dezeen’s three million monthly website visitors. Each studio profile will be featured on the VDF homepage and included in Dezeen’s daily newsletter, which has 170,000 subscribers

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      Shanghai studio Arizon's interiors facilitate “surprising spatial experiences”

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      VDF studio profiles: Shanghai design studio Arizon specialises in the planning and interior design of retail spaces, from boutique department stores to shopping malls.The studio was founded in 2008 by Junwei Shen. Over the course of his career, the designer witnessed the rapid evolution of Chinese commerce from standalone shops to giant malls, which is why he prides himself in creating interiors that are able to adapt to the evolving needs of different businesses.
      “We exploit the aesthetic and business potential of architecture to the full,” he explained.
      “Through avant-garde artistic approaches and an awareness of ecology, we hope to create ineffably inspiring and surprising spatial experiences that help our clients to grow their businesses.”

      The Fortune Bridge features arched recesses to create functional spaces within a walkway
      The studio often makes use of natural lighting and geometric lines in its projects, and uses blank spaces strategically.

      This can be seen in its design for the Fortune Bridge – a pedestrian walkway leading to the Vita Rive Gauche shopping boulevard in the town of Zhengzhou.
      By adding arched recesses to either side of a central footpath, Arizon was able to turn this simple thoroughfare into a multi-functional space that can play host to cultural and culinary events, and house further retail units.

      Stain glass windows feature in the Vita Green community mall
      Elsewhere in Zhengzhou, the studio was also responsible for Block B of the Vita Green community mall, which Shen describes as a “feast of light and shade”.
      “The facade is clad in wire mesh and sunlight enters the interior from different directions through stained glass windows,” he added. “This creates an amazing play of shadows that breathes life into the whole mall.”
      Another of Arizon’s retail projects is situated in Dezhou and celebrates the city’s rich history as a trading port – a virtue of its proximity to the Wei River.
      This legacy is visualised in the Inzone mall through a system of ceiling baffles, which jut out to create the impression of being underwater and looking up at the hull of a boat as it cuts through the surface.

      The ceiling fins of Inzone mall are shaped like the hull of a boat
      Similarly, the studio clad the entryway of the Kids World in Shanghai’s Joy City mall with a gradient of rainbow-coloured tubes, designed to resemble the stems of fantastical flowers breaking through soil.
      Faced with the challenge of consolidating three different, staggered ceiling heights, Arizon introduced a system of undulating shapes throughout the space, replicating the silhouette of gently rolling hills.
      The project earned Arizon a German iF Design Award for interior architecture this year.

      Multicoloured tubes cover the walls and ceiling of Joy City’s Kids World
      Studio: ArizonWebsite: arizon.com.cnContact address: info@arizon.com.cn
      About Virtual Design Festival
      Virtual Design Festival is the world’s first online design festival, taking place from 15 April to 30 June. For more information, or to be added to the mailing list, contact us at vdf@dezeen.com.
      A studio profile on Virtual Design Festival could expose your work to Dezeen’s three million monthly website visitors. Each studio profile will be featured on the VDF homepage and included in Dezeen’s daily newsletter, which has 170,000 subscribers.

      Read more: More

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      London's Transit Studio refuses house style to “bring something different to every project”

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      VDF studio profiles: Transit Studio is a multidisciplinary design practice that has avoided developing a house style in order to build a portfolio of varied and engaging spaces. The London-based studio was founded in 2017 by Ben Masterton-Smith – the winner of the inaugural RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship – and specialises in both architecture […] More

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      Warsaw studio HOLA Design's interiors defy styles and trends

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      VDF studio profiles: HOLA Design is a Polish interior design studio that rejects trends, aiming instead to give its clients “a chance to fulfil their own dreams of a new home”. The studio, which is best known for its domestic interiors, was founded in Warsaw in 2005 by Monika and Adam Bronikowski. Today, the pair […] More

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      4Space hopes to create “long-term relationships” between people and spaces

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      VDF studio profile: 4Space is a Dubai-based design studio, which specialises in interior architecture with a decidedly human-centred approach. “We seek to integrate the design of an interior seamlessly into the daily lives of its occupants, regardless of style preferences,” said co-founder Firas Alsahin. “This creates tangible, long-term relationships between them and the spaces they […] More

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      Siren Design creates “environments where people can thrive”

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      VDF studio profile: Siren is a sustainability-focused, women-led design studio that has crafted interiors for businesses from tech companies like Google and Facebook to a philanthropic organisation. The company was founded by CEO Mia Feasey in 2005 and has since expanded to include 75 employees across its original Sydney studio as well as locations in […] More

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      Lorem Ipsum's experience design shows the “power of dramatic narratives”

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      VDF studio profiles: Lorem Ipsum is a creative studio that crafts exhibitions and experiential installations, such as an audiovisual recreation of an airstrike, that fully immerse visitors in a story. Since being founded in New York in 2000, the company has expanded to include London and Moskow offices where designers and architects, writers and filmmakers […] More