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Architects: Atelier I-N-D-J
- Area: 65 m²
- Year: 2020
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Photographs:Ian Douglas-Jones
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Lead Architects: Ian Douglas-Jones
Text description provided by the architects. We have conceived of a pale-toned store with soft edges, rounded corners, and supple drapery that forms a background to delicate silken garments, sleepwear, and intimate attire. This small delicate store is inserted into a historic building within the Xintiandi complex; a hardened façade of textured brick and roughcast textured concrete. We wanted to create a focus to this building, an attractor to passers-by, whilst respecting the architecture and acknowledging the sensitivity of the site.
Soft-edged planes seemingly break the fenestration and protrude out of the façade, serving as display plinths for two art installations that serve to pique passers-by's gaze. Each installation is kinetic, gently moving elements in hardened stainless steel, the hard-mechanical aesthetic is in stark contrast to the objects that are the focus of their manipulation, single pieces of delicate silk fabric in a bold aquamarine blue. The stainless-steel mechanism is augmented with 3D printed components - designed to manipulate the silk to give the apparent feeling of movement, flow, and contour - silk reacts most beautifully to light in a moving state - our installations serve to create a constant movement to display the beauty of silk.
Within the store, walls wrap and guide visitors within, a translucent pink display table anchors the space, whilst light grey plinths line the walls and act as a serving counter.
The small changing room area is a transformer - with a generous space given over to a large soft chair which can be enveloped by a motorized silken drape that can change this space from public to private - giving customers the privilege of a large beautiful changing space. Space to try clothing in privacy. This changing space is a device used principally to save space, within this cozy store.
Brushed stainless steel compliment grey leather shelving and work well with beige and grey floor and wall tones to give a calming atmosphere.
