BB.C. Glacier Water Retail Store by X+Living

BB.C. Glacier Water Retail Store by X+Living

📅03 Febbraio 2023, 13:52
TESTO ITALIANO

In Nanjing, China, X+Living transforms an ordinary passageway between the Deji Art Museum and the Deji Plaza into a self-contained miniature art gallery and store injected with a rich cultural atmosphere.

B.C. Glacier Water Retail Store by X+Living

The circulation area now houses the contemporary B.C. Glacier Water Retail Store, boasting a minimal ‘white forest’ interior drawing on Nanjing’s buttonwood trees, enlivened by vibrant geometric artworks and sculptural details.

The architects create a timeless atmosphere conveying beauty of“epiphanic moments” in a new form, using art and nature imagery, creating a unique conceptual retail space with a blended approach and multi-dimensional function and meaning. Conveying a continuous and layered experience for visitors, the casual and elegant retail space becomes perfectly embedded into the closed loop of the artistic journey.

Shanghai-based X+Living’s concept devises a distinct spiritual realm from an ordinary space while paying homage to the Impressionist approach.

Lead architect Li Xiang transforms the passageway into a poignant prelude and conclusion to an artistic journey. The design spatially translates the Chinese poem: ‘In my sleep, I heard the autumn breeze outside, but when I woke up, I couldn’t find anything but buttonwood leaves falling all over the steps, bathed in the bright moonlight’.

In a minimalist, contemporary expression, the gallery incorporates pure white columns to emulate the growing branches of the buttonwood trees, which are ubiquitous in Nanjing. Between the prominent paintings and the pure white ‘trees’ of the interior, a deep river of aesthetics flows silently, creating the impression of the B.C. Glacial Water brand. ‘By exploring the extraordinary in the ordinary and revealing the hidden romance of life, the space invites people to stop, rest, observe and feel,’ comment the architects.

The upper end of the buttonwood branch blends into the white ceiling in a gentle curve, like a splash of water on a lake, while the lower end of the branch spreads out into a cloud-like one-piece bar counter and seating area.

B.C. Glacier Water Retail Store by X+Living

This soft visual sensation nourishes the consumer’s sense of tranquillity and relaxation. Rich in functionality, the bar counter and seating area integrate discreet built-in features to maintain a clean, minimalist atmosphere free from clutter. The white round bar and macaroon chairs are small, elegant, and flexible, making them easy to move in operation.

The meticulously arranged, staggered ‘branches’ of the space present a layered scenery, immersing consumers as they stroll through it. ‘They feel as if they have stepped from snowy buttonwood trees into a painter’s sketching, resonating with their passion for beauty and nature.’

A special color painting on the gallery wall and the light and air in the space create a light mood,“deepening our feelings towards the world,’ concludes the team at X+Living.

Location: Nanjing, China
Area: 430 sqm
Design Company: X+Living
Lead Designer: Li Xiang
Technical Director: Wu Feng
Project Director: Luo Ziyan
Designer: Zhao Dandan, Jiang Xueping, Li Baojun, Zhao Yuwen
Customized furniture: X+Living
Production Director: ZhengMinping
Photos courtesy: SFAP

by AN shopfitting magazine no.172 ©

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