Respecting the integrity of a space
The Shanghai store is a repurposed hotel kitchen. The
first design proposal was aesthetically pleasing in much
the same way as the interiors of most cosmetics stores are.
I was on board with the concept at first but as time passed,
I felt like something was missing – that it wouldn’t capture
the essence of the Harmay brand.
After getting in touch with the architects
at AIM and giving them a better idea of what the space
was like, they suggested we work with the concept of the
kitchen. At long kitchen islands, both employees and
customers can interact with the products, almost as if
they’re preparing food on their kitchen counter at home.
I appreciated that AIM understood my request for a design
that was simultaneously memorable and practical, and
that they really took it in a completely unique direction.
For our upcoming shop in Chengdu, I’m
intrigued by the idea of being situated somewhere that
looks as if it’s been overtaken by nature. I’m inspired by
a line from a poem by famous Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai,
who writes that ‘it is easier to climb to Heaven than to take
the path to Sichuan’. Perhaps we could have washbasinsthat look like they have algae growing on them. I think it’s
very important to honour the original feel of not just the
space, but also its environs and its history.Making transgressive interiors
The inside of Harmay’s Beijing store is redolent of an air-
port. Upon winding assembly lines that look like conveyor
belts where you pick up your luggage, our staff can package
products in full view of the customers. You’d never
associate airports with cosmetics, and they couldn’t be
more dissimilar conceptually, but that’s the sort of playful
subversion I request of AIM every time they design a new
store for us. The second floor of the store boasts five rooms
that are thematically designed to enhance the customer
experience. For instance, if you’re trying on perfume in the
room for scents, you can enjoy the soft floral patterns on
the wall. Then there’s a large room complete with cur-
tains – a fun and relaxed setting for customers to test out
products. Harmay and AIM inspire each other constantly,
and it’s important that we don’t have fixed ideas of what to
do at the beginning of the design process.•
harmay.comABOVE The ground floor of the Beijing
store mimics an airport, complete
with ‘baggage belts’ upon which staff
package products in full view of the
customers.
OPPOSITE Upstairs, five thematic
rooms are designed to enhance
offline sales engagement.
The Client 59