Zwilling
Shanghai
Milan-based partners Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez conceived the two-level Shanghai flagship for the German kitchenware brand “as a visual and dynamic culinary journey that appeals to the senses,” says Rodriguez. Equipped with a bar, casual and fine dining rooms, a shop, and a white marble and stainless steel-clad cooking school, the design unites the East and West through pure forms and luxe materials, including velvet, leather, wood, and brass. In fine dining space the Twins, for instance, the long rustic bar complements palm print walls, while cascading plants are a lush addition, peeking down into the clean-lined shop on the first floor from the connecting stairs.

Zwilling

Malababa
Madrid
Light, texture, color, and geometric shapes play off one another for a raw, honest, and soulful experience at the pink-tinged Spanish accessories brand’s new location in the Spanish capital. Local studios Ciszak Dalmas and Matteo Ferrari combined modular furniture formed from limestone, aged brass, leather, and moss agate to create a new identity for the company, with a terrazzo counter and a blush-toned leather curtain doing double duty as dividers between the private office and shop floor. Manufactured in Toledo with mud from Extremadura quarries, a latticed structure is a lesson in Spanish craftsmanship, while agate crystals—used for Malababa’s signature Minihontas and Nanohontas bags—show up throughout the space as a unifying thread, embedded into walls as if they had always been there.

Malababa

Footpatrol Paris
To lure sneakerheads into Footpatrol Paris in the trendy Le Marais district, London firm Counterfeit Studio wanted to create a distinct Parisian identity that stayed true to the brand’s ethos. A striking ebony storefront entices customers inside, where the luxury retailer’s hallmark utilitarian aesthetic sets the tone. Here, concrete walls and flooring illustrate an industrial look that contrasts an original stone wall and the brand’s logo illuminated in cool white neon behind checkout. Backed by a mirrored infinity wall, suspended galvanized steel fins create a pitched roof silhouette, another subtle nod to its sister store in London.

Footpatrol Paris

SKP Xi’an
Despite its grandiose scale—the 2.7 million-square-foot luxury department store houses 1,000 high-end storefronts, boutique cinemas, and dining venues—there’s a sense of inviting intimacy at SKP, thanks to a thoughtful design by London firm Sybarite (in collaboration with Arup) that channels Moorish architecture. Clad in honeycomb skin, a flexible, mechanical roof and balconies open to the main area where lush garden terraces and a tranquil waterfall feature create an indoor-outdoor feel. The statement-making SKP curve is a twisting reoccurring element and a branding cue found throughout, from the simplest of details like elevator buttons and voluptuous light fixtures to a dramatic staircase that emerges from a cut-out circle leading customers to the different levels.

SKP Xi’an

Glossier
Los Angeles
The skin-first makeup brand has made a name for itself in the beauty market as a digital startup darling. For its second retail outpost, this one in Los Angeles (the other is in New York), it translated those fresh-faced beauty moments into an alluring brick-and-mortar. Wrapped in Millennial pink, Glossier’s creative team captured the spirit of the California desert in the warm interior, where lighting showcases the lustrous dewiness of the brand’s signature products and rearview mirrors coated in pink recall a road trip. Hidden at the shop is the intimate Glossier Canyon room inspired by Arizona’s Antelope Canyon—with dusty rose rock formations and full-length mirrors, it’s the perfect place to view your finished look and, of course, take a selfie.

Glossier

U Concept Gallery
Shanghai
The innovative gallery-retail-café concept in Shanghai’s West Bund neighborhood from local boutique firm Lukstudio boasts an open atrium on one side and a narrow, double-loaded corridor on the other. The white walls and arched openings create a fluidity in the space while keeping the focus on the art displayed on the walls. “Apart from showing the spatial experience of the gallery, the concept model gives us freedom to imagine the different scales of application,” says Lukstudio founder and director Christina Luk. The various areas include a café counter, which is tucked under the wooden mezzanine, and an open classroom platform surrounded by raised display aisles.

U Concept Gallery