archstudio designs beauty nails salon in beijing with 'hilly' interiors

located in beijing, the mini hill lily nails salon by archstudio is designed to achieve a kind of natural sense in an artificial environment, attracting customers by creating an amusing experience of being on a hill. the rectangular sixty sq.m space is therefore shaped with undulating topographies that gradually rise from the outside to the inside. 

all images © jin weiqi 

archstudio divided the hill into seven caves of varying sizes, emerging or hiding according to customers’ behavior and sight. these caves, separate from yet interconnected with each other, form the manicure and beauty areas of different scales. the manicure area is grouped by two  or three seats, while the beauty area is relatively closed off to ensure privacy. on the other hand, the space between caves is used as storage, service room, display rack, etc.

the entire hill is welded together with a 1.5mm thick brushed stainless steel plate, its hardness in match with the soft grey carpet on the floor, thus enhancing the grey-toned cave space. furthermore, the top is painted white, integrating it with the surrounding walls and shining roof as a whole. the roof is made of a soft membrane, its surface printed in flower patterns of different densities, creating even and varied indoor lighting. ‘stop in front of the store, you get a vivid visual image directly through the transparent glass wall. Step inside the space, the abstract hill becomes a stage to unfold the beauty of nature,’ reveals the team.  

display shelves

project info:

title: mini hill—lily nails salon (fulllink store)
design company: archstudio
design team: han wenqiang, song huizhong
location: fulllink plaza, chaoyang district, beijing, china
area: 60 sq. m
design time: 2017.02-2017.04
construction time: 2017.04-2017.06
main materials: stainless steel plate, printing soft membrane

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom

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