Commissioned to design a retail and exhibition space in a newly opened commercial centre in Hangzhou for JIA Garden, a brand specializing in hand-crafted objects, Chinese interior design practice Mountain Soil drew inspiration from the brand’s name approaching the projects as much from an interior design aspect as from a landscaping perspective. Don’t expect any greenery though; the designers have opted instead for a rugged, sparse landscape swathed in muted cream, grey and beige hues, punctured by concrete and stone.

The ascetic interior straddles artifice and nature thanks to a mix of natural and man-made materials. An organic design language of curved shapes and rounded volumes paired with the building’s exposed concrete skeleton further blurs the boundaries between the natural and the artificial. The result is a soothing, peaceful environment that nevertheless conveys a sense of wonder and discovery, elevating the mundane into the remarkable in reflection of the artisanship behind the clay and stone-crafted objects on display.

Unfolding across two floors, at the heart of the scheme is a meandering route that takes visitors through four ‘gardens’ delineated by sculptural elements that double as furnishings and displays. On the ground floor, a spacious entrance hall dubbed the Pending Garden, is centred on a leaf-shaped display table that seems to hover above a rock garden consisting of asymmetrical limestone floor tiles punctuated by small boulders. Abundant natural light flooding in from large windows and views of the surrounding greenery enrich the spartan space.

A textured staircase leads visitors up to the first floor which is divided into three zones by curved partitions. First in line, the Meeting Garden is a circular area cantilevered above the ground floor with a kidney-shaped counter in the middle. In the adjacent Wandering Garden, the display areas increase in complexity, with a staggered configuration of organic-shaped surfaces in different heights. Designed to host large art installations and gatherings, the Lingering Garden is the more spacious of the three and incorporates a sculptural bar counter. Larger and smaller rectangular stone pavers bring the outdoors inside as do the chunky pieces of stone that interrupt the floor grid. The exposed concrete posts and beams add to the scheme’s textural tapestry whose tactile richness reflects the store’s hand-crafted products.