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16 Jun 2021 • Retail
Exploratory interiors remain top of agenda for brick-and-mortar beauty
Design
Brand
Formoral
Lighting Design
Paint Supplier
Furniture Design
The Shaw
Construction
Peng Li Building Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd.
Floor Area
Location
6F GDA Plaza, No. 609 Yan'an Road, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou, China
The Hangzhou location of independent skincare brand Formoral takes the shape of a ‘desert planet’, AKA an otherworldly space by Lialawlab.
Key features
To transport people to this ‘desert planet’, the designers adopted a retro-futuristic aesthetic for the interior. Keeping on brand with Formoral, it’s a space that, in their words, ‘explores the relationship between nature and the artificial, bioscience and lifestyle aesthetics.’ Ample use of arcs – including a fundamental tunnel which emerges from a circular form in the main entry area – enabled them to create a physical experience that seemingly transcends the 120-sq-m layout of the shopping mall site (which, notably, only has a usable height of 2.8 m). The design accommodates eight necessary functions: brand display, skin testing and product sales, rest and communication, events and demonstration, self-care and washing, an office, product storage and an employee break room. Materials such as metal foil, aluminium plating and mirrors accentuate the illusion-heavy environment, which is finished primarily in grey textural paint.
Frame’s take
In spite of there being photographs as evidence, it’s difficult to imagine finding this space in a shopping mall, and that signifies a job very well done by Lialawlab. Playing up the sensation of exploration is a growing priority in the retail world, especially in hands-on sectors like beauty and wellness. Note something that Damien Zhong, the CEO of Chinese cosmetics retailer Harmay, told us for Frame 133: ‘When someone walks into a shop, it’s no longer to simply buy something. It’s about them taking the initiative to inspire themselves and pique their curiosity with products they weren’t expecting.’ And, in Formoral’s case, it’s not only a shop that visitors are walking into: it’s another realm that only makes the products more interesting, inspiring longer stays.