Chinese cosmetics brand Harmay‘s latest brick-and-mortar location is crafted to appear less like a retail space and more like a midcentury office. Spread across nearly 15,000 square feet, Harmay Hangzhou comprises an open office floor plan drenched in bright tones, soft carpeting, and a variety of textures.
“There are no longer rules of what to do where and in what space, so why not also create this shift in a physical space? What does a store mean now anyway?” Wendy Saunders, founder Shanghai-based AIM Architecture, contemplates. “The look back towards a more 1970s office look and feel creates nostalgia for simpler times when these boundaries were a lot more clear.”
Occupying the second floor of an existing office building, the store features an interior design concept that conveys the beauty of everyday life by romanticizing a space many of us frequently occupy. Floor-to-ceiling curtain wall windows pour natural light inside, and rows of desk units and display cabinetry are neatly configured. Retro telephone rooms were also installed to instill a novel transportive effect, while vibrant nooks showcase the beauty brand’s products. The optical illusion of an infinity mirror wall running through the core of the space entices consumers along with the motif of repetitive round windows along another wall.
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