quarries inspire adjustable shelving system in dongqi design's stone-clad shanghai store

dongqi design unveils naturaL stone-clad store in shanghai

dongqi Design completes the first space in Shanghai for 15 ESSENTIALS, a brand centered on aromatic culture and essential oils. The architectural team creates a calming environment for aromatherapy while showcasing the brand’s products. Natural stone walls, built from raw stones selected from a quarry, maintain their textured surfaces, preserving marks of mining and erosion. These irregularly shaped rocks are arranged to form small platforms where moss grows, evoking the feel of natural formations. Wooden shelves, designed as a flexible display system, feature bark textures and growth rings, reinforcing the space’s natural qualities. The shelving system is constructed using removable iron bolts that echo the wedges used in quarries, allowing the wooden boards to be adjusted and reconfigured within the stone walls.

all images courtesy of dongqi Design

15 essentials displays products on iron and stone

dongqi Design also incorporates bespoke wall lamps that integrate into the shelving system of the 15 ESSENTIALS store. The ceiling, designed in stepped layers, conceals lighting along its edges, maintaining an unblemished appearance. The polished concrete floor contrasts the raw elements above, and a mirrored wall at the back enhances the spatial depth. A sculptural booth at the entrance is formed from two stacked stones, with the upper stone hollowed out to create a display stand. Suspended above there is an installation showcasing essential oil extraction devices, mirroring the shape of the stone cavity below. In the main space, two scent tables, constructed by the Shanghai-based studio from layered iron plates and stone columns, invite customers to sit and immerse themselves in the fragrances. The stone columns also function as trash receptacles, integrating form and utility. The space features a raw stone sink, appearing to float against the wall while structurally supported. Its upper surface is chiseled into a natural curve for functionality, while moss-filled stone platforms link natural and artificial elements.

the rough texture of the raw stone faces the main space

two stones are stacked in a seemingly unstable status to serve as the booth at the entrance

thin iron plates make it possible for each layer of bottles to be clearly visible from the outside

raw stone material clads the sink, with one side of the raw texture retained

the iron bolts, on which the wooden boards are placed, can be flexibly inserted into different holes

an installation is suspended on steel cables above the booth

moss is planted to make the walls like natural rocks

the essential oils dripping funnel installations are fixed in the holes by the iron wedges

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customized wall lamps which can be fixed in the holes are inspired by the iron wedge

the wooden boards serve as the display shelves are made of a whole log

removable fixing bolts of the shelves simulate the iron wedges used in the quarries

project info:

name: 15 ESSENTIALS
architect: dongqi Design | @dongqi_design
location: Shanghai, China
fixture design: dongqi Design
design director: JIANG Nan
design team: Edoardo Nieri, Huiyi Wu, Danyi Zhang, Ning Wang, Chloe Wang

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edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom