one fine day studio adds 'fragments of the past' to furniture retail interior in china

located in an old neighborhood of guangzhou, china, ‘maó space’ by one fine day studio & partners is a newly established retail interior project designed around the idea of collecting the fragments of the past and redefining what has been forgotten. by installing a variety of sculptural spatial elements and custom-made decoration, the firm has created an environment that plays with the idea of time as an intangible concept, while also highlighting the various furniture merchandise. 

all images by yuuuunstudio

one fine day studio & partners has taken the ‘chaotic’ atmosphere of the wholesale market into consideration in order to form the new retail ‘maó space’. aiming to avoid a disorderly feel, grey has been chosen as the tone throughout the interior, with its simplicity making for an appropriate background for the merchandise collection. in order to show the vestige of time, the designers have selected xuan paper for the ceiling and decoration in the lobby, while also customizing the matching colored fiberglass for the cashier and totemic chandelier. in addition, they have built a sculptural spiral stairway of half-story height, leading customers to the upper level. 

the product display and lounge areas are partitioned by a handmade heavy-inked screen. on the left, the designers have welded a gothic-styled cabinet using galvanized sheets, which has perfectly set off the olive-colored ‘fold’ furniture by olivier gregoire. on the other side, the studio has placed the glass ‘post modern’ table and sofa from glas italia, a thomas & vines’ mirror with a flocking frame, and the fiberglass pendant lamp, ‘postkrisi 50-51;, from catellani & smith.

the original cylindrical structure has been transformed into mediterranean column, which has offered a distinct visual framework within the space. a display rack is made with metal that signifies the industrial age and fractured plaster — a combination of materials that symbolizes the passage of time.

one fine day attempts to take out any sharp angles, including the corner of the walls, the spiral stairway, the impractical curved mirror, and the decorative and actual pillars. the designers hope to bring out the sense of classical time through gentle details. a column visually connects the space between the two floors, and the grey-toned spiral stairway makes a fine contrast with the black and white ‘colonna’ chaise lounge from gufram. fiberglass, metal and plaster have once again joined in the same room.

project info:

name: maó space
architecture office: one fine day studio & partners
design director: jump lee
design team: hao liang, yongjie lao, shuai liu
location: yuexiu district, guangzhou, china
area: 227 m²

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: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom