Located in Haining, China, a city renowned for its shadow puppetry and contribution to the art of cinematography as storytelling, Lukstudio founder Christina Luk says she wanted to instill a sense of performance into retail-café hybrid Dear So Cute. The shopping areas serve as a staged spectacle, while the café is where the audience observes the performers. Three boxes clad in steel and polycarbonate panels are placed on an elevated platform to replicate a theater set with windows framing views throughout. “The ‘watch and be watched’ setting blurs the distinction between performers and audience,” Luk says. A clean, bright palette sets the stage for well-lit pink acrylic panels that bathe the store in a pastel afterglow. “Through infusing the experience of an immersive theater,” she says, “[we experimented with] how commercial activities can bring people together and contribute to a better public realm.”