A furniture gallery and sales showroom for the leading international furniture brands in the heart of Shanghai’s busy commercial district. The client, AREA Interiors, is a joint Canadian/Chinese venture, will showcase pieces from Europe’s high-end furniture lines throughout the three floors of the converted tool factory.

The existing building was a partially restored, deteriorated, concrete and brick structure. The challenge for the design team was to create a unique, inviting, yet subdued space that worked with the client’s business model and the aesthetic expectations of their main suppliers. The result was a clean, thoughtful space, with ordered stages that allow the client to orchestrate the customer’s experience through the gallery.

In agreement with the client, the design team felt it necessary to respect and express the original structure. As the new wall system winds its way through the structure, highlighted cut-outs reveal the original iron windows that provide a strong and idealistic link with building’s origin.

Hidden lighting details throughout the structure and a feature stone staircase that connects through an impressive void space, allow the interior architecture to have a strong and supportive role in the exhibition of the showpieces.