Say Architects have unveiled Lika Lab, a boutique store in Hangzhou, China constructed around a muted colour scheme.

Architects explain that initially, their client pushed for the use of bright colour in the project, choosing pink and blue as the main tones in the space. Feeling that this would distract from the products on display, Say Architects devised a strategy around “de-materializing” the colour concept to soften the intensity of the scheme.

Frosted resin and mirrored stainless steel create a translucent outer skin that blurs colours, materials and structure, creating an ethereal atmosphere. Say Architects explain, “the whole space becomes light and soft – the space and goods instantly balanced”.

Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 05 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 01 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 02 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 03 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 04 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 06 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 07 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 08 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 09 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 10 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 11 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 12 Say Architects Lika Lab Boutique Hangzhou Fashion Retail Interiors Yellowtrace 13 Plan 1

Upon entering the store one almost feels as if they had stepped into another universe. Our conventional understanding of light and space becomes distorted as materials begin to play with reality and memory. The architects explain that the reflective resin floor and use of mirrored stainless-steel bring depth and dimension to the interior. Panes of frosted glass appear to float as if they were weightless, held up by 12 custom-designed joinery pieces. Exterior sunlight is softened causing the windows to glow, contributing to the surreal atmosphere. The outside world becomes a blurred distant memory as a new reality begins to unfold inside.

“Space and products, representation and abstraction, reality and memory, nature and isolation, all kinds of seemingly competing but balanced relationships are interwoven in Lika Lab, which is a new experience that we hope to bring to all customers that enter this space,” concluded the architects.

[Images courtesy of Say Architects. Photography by Minjie Wang.]