Sometimes, the experience of retail stores is more than the products. Sometimes, it is the design of these stores that brings you 50 years into the future. 

It’s exciting to see where our shopping destinations are heading, with a language in the design that not only reflects the products that are sold, but also embodies the evolution of architectural creativity. We look at five retail designs from Shanghai to Chengdu and all the way to Singapore that reinvent the status quo. 

JMGO, by AIM Architecture

JMGO is not your typical store by any means, and the futuristic interior is en pointe to represent the product and showcase its capabilities. The interior design encourages customers to suspend thoughts of the everyday. Once inside, the product works its magic, and that’s what good retail design is all about. 

This project is surprising and inspiring and, in this case, shakes up the traditional idea of retail. Utilising the concept of a projector and its capabilities, the interior has become a canvas for presenting the unexpected, redefining boundaries and altering perceptions.

hug x UMA WANG by ATMOSPHERE Architects

In Chengdu, China, the new concept store for hug x UMA WANG is a show-stopping, theatrical and thought-provoking design. Spread over two levels, the floorplate of 485 square metres has been beautifully utilised. The floors are connected by a sweeping circular staircase positioned at the side of the interior that gently winds upwards and becomes a grand feature.

The interior design influence is history – the idea of Pompeii as a city of ash, deconstructed. Wang’s SS20 collection was designed with this in mind, and the architects have then extrapolated the concept throughout the interior. 

Moulding Talent by Bean Buro

As a mixed-use project incorporating commercial and training facilities, Moulding Talent is a retail academy for one of the world’s leading luxury goods groups that offers much more than simply an office environment. 

Bean Buro’s founding directors, Lorène Faure and Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui say, “This project was about striking a delicate balance between calmness and stimulation by utilising an energising yet sophisticated colour palette while keeping the design elegant and subtle through controlled detailing. The result is a space that encourages users to interact and learn in an agile and comfortable setting.”

Polaroid Pop-up Store by inkmason international

Located in Chengdu, China, the new Polaroid pop-up store boasts bright colours that speak to a city known for its young and vibrant creative energy. Inspired by the allure of the Polaroid camera, the phrase “process of creating beauty” served as a guiding statement for the overall creative direction.

From the colours of the spectrum to the raw materiality, each element expresses a ‘process’, like each Polaroid user capturing a moment through instant photography, which unravels slowly before the eye.

Citi Wealth Hub, designed by the Ministry of Design with Architectural QP: Space Design Architects

As winner of The Shopping Space category in the 2021 INDE.Awards, Citi Wealth Hub is a game changer. The project reinvents the idea of the traditional destination for banking by embracing a green interior and biophilic design ideals. Situated in downtown Singapore in the Orchard Road district, Citi Wealth Hub offers its clientele an experience like no other.

While creating the relaxing interior for this high-profile business, the benefits of biophilic design are both tangible and obvious. As a verdant garden in the city’s heart, Citi Wealth Hub also promotes sustainable design ideas through the natural tropical landscape.

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