Yatofu employs a focus on natural scenery and a relaxed holiday atmosphere for Jianze’s furniture showroom in the newly opened Bir Land, a culture and art-infused commercial center in Liangzhe New Town, situated in the city of Hangzhou. The project aims to convey a sense of free spirit and friendly ambience through extending the outdoors into the interior.
The design scheme for the 80-square-meter rectangular box-like space stems from the notion of a garden terrace. The concept is intended to invite a new expression of Jianze as a brand and its products, offering an engaging and tactile furniture showroom experience, as well as providing a friendly and vibrant community terrace for BIRLAND.
In many European cities, terrace gardens are an extension of the architectural space, and are peppered throughout the urban environment across streets and corners. They serve as open semi-public spaces and offer an expression of the casual and free-spirited urban lifestyle. In shaping this feeling of an open garden terrace, the façade was opened up and fully retractable floor to ceiling glazed doors were installed alongside the brand’s iconic graphic shape. 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, extending the overall reach of the showroom’s impressions.
Embracing the notion of contrast in color and materials within the interior concept, the floor of the space sees the juxtaposition of rough pink micro-cement against glossy white tiles, sectioned in a manner as to create visual separation within the space in a minimalistic way. The playfulness of the flooring’s color and configuration evokes a sense of joy and vibrancy, inviting visitors to linger and explore the brand and its products with wonder and curiosity. The pairing of the soft and delicate color scheme against the exposed concrete ceilings offers yet another contrast in mood and texture, a characteristic which is mirrored by Jianze’s own line of products.
A lightweight steel structure is inserted just off the center of the showroom, serving as a lofted exhibition space to increase display area and encourage further exploration of the showroom and its products. The lifted enclosure is clad in perforated steel mesh, allowing the entire showroom to be visible at a glance; the steel structure is painted in its entirety in a light sage green, offering an eye-catching yet laid-back addition to the atmosphere. A series of detachable stainless steel pegs are arranged on the wall adjacent to the cash register, forming an adjustable display system which can be re-arranged into various configurations to accommodate different products and displays. A flexible and minimalistic hand in designing the space allows the displayed products to shine, while delivering an ambience that feels warm, authentic, and accepting.
Yatofu’s purposeful deployment of unconventional spatial partitions and flexible display strategies in Jianze’s new showroom has created an experience that exists somewhere between a pop-up and conventional showroom; it invites visitors inside with a leisurely vibe and sense of contemporary novelty. The space not only functions as a showcase for their products, but also a social gathering place where people can feel at ease to come and go. The bright and open space offers versatile possibilities for different types of exhibitions, markets or events, and serves as a public terrace where the brand and its community of customers can meet and interact. 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.
Team:
Interior Design: Yatofu Creatives
Design Team: Angela Lindahl, Yihan Xiang, Sheen Tao
Photography: Wen Studio
Material Used:
Materials / Furnishing: grey-pink micro cement, white birch wood decorative panel, glossy ceramic tiles, matte spray metal mesh plate, customized metal bracket
