Text description provided by the architects. Oror had its second grand opening at a commercial complex in Seoul, namely 'The Shops at Centerfield'. The ideas for the space were inspired by the unique identity of oror that is reflected in its products - oror is an eyewear boutique shop that has a wide range of eyewear collections - from unique to vintage styles. Inspired by the brand's identity, NBDC sought to create a space where continuous variations of a contemporary and a classic may occur.
Original façade - The façade was designed to be original and visually vibrant by escaping from the conventional framework. The classical style of the entrance placed at the center catches your eyes from a far distance and brings them to the end of the place. Wood structures on the floor and the ceiling bring you into the space with delicate comfort. The space itself with this sort of structure allows you to have a sense of stepping into another phase of the world. The narrow layout given was a major obstacle to portraying diversified products. Yet, this was resolved by vertically partitioning the space into 3 parts, assigning modern styles on the sides and classics at the center. The clear glass wall on the sides of the entrance blurs the boundary between the hallway and the store, making the space appear more extended. Such a device creates an atmosphere that may evoke a variety of emotions.
Fusion of contemporary and classic - Different materials and details were used to embody the line between a classic and a contemporary. And it is oddly satisfying to see these two distinct styles together in one scene. The interior of the shop is contrasted with a wood tone color and a white color; each color is meant to portray a sense of vintage and contemporary respectively. The combination of the two colors implies the diverse concepts that oror demonstrates. The classical wood details engraved in the interior of the store metaphorizes the high-class vintage style eyewear that oror has been sourcing for a long time. The space was originally constructed to have an open ceiling. Yet, we intentionally placed a ceiling at the entrance and the end to give a cozier ambiance as well as focus to the place.
Creative Objects - We blended glossy objects with matte ones to let the eyewear stand out. Depending on where you are from these glossy objects, different scenes can be shown, and it makes your tour quite enjoyable. In addition, oror's brand color, red is incorporated into some furniture to express its identity in a subtle way. The four hand-made artificial pillars are very delicate in their own ways, making the space look like a modern gallery. And visually, giving a sense of stability to the place is yet another function of themselves. These pillars were keystones in dividing the space for our own framing purposes. Aside from practical purposes, we recreated them to have an aesthetic function. The pillars are made with different materials such as rope, glass, acryl, and metal. And their gleaming presence is very vivid.
