Materials and Color Scheme

Masamichi Katayama designed the exterior and interior of the I.T. Hysan One department store in Hong Kong with an emphasis on glass, mirror, metal and wood.  The natural colors of these materials form much of the store design scheme except for a red-toned feature wall near the elevator.

One wall in the store stands out as both its wall and shelving are all in wood. The stacks of folded clothing for sale provide the color against the wood to attract shoppers. In the shoe department, vertical mirror strips are spaced evenly around the outer walls of a cylindrical kiosk to draw attention and beckon customers.

Furnishings

In the ladies’ department, dainty white pedestal side tables are grouped together tastefully to hold merchandise. Contrastingly, the mens’ clothing department has a military theme with portable picnic tables stacked with folded clothes. A mesh metal tent holds racks of clothing inside. On the tent structure’s outer walls are full length mirrors.

Another different look dominates in the shoe department with one long wall all in white shelving. The shelves are different sizes of rectangles that hold shoes and bags to make efficient use of the store space. While the furnishings and overall styles vary by department, the materials unify the design.

Features

The building’s beautiful exterior features black accents and clear glass enclosures. The same materials are used together inside the store for jewelry and other display cases. On the outside of the store, black corner poles are visible through clear glass enclosures at the corners of the building.

A textured interior feature wall is all white , but its repeating pattern of circles creates interest. A large focal point is the colorful metallic red wall behind the store’s staircase. The many different kinds of feature walls make for a striking commercial design.

Different types of ceilings are not forgotten in the I.T. Hysan One’s store design. One of our favorites has strips of white planking spaced evenly apart to show a black background between the planks.

A truly stunning seating arrangement in the shoe department features the spindle backed country style wood chairs that are a design trademark for Katayama. Yet, this time he uses only the chair tops and melds  them into stark white modular seating for contrast. The look is random and artistic.  The unique chaises allow shoe shoppers to sit with their legs stretched out to see the shoes they try on from that angle, if they so choose.

Layout

The I.T. Hysan’s store design is  incredibly detailed, yet nothing feels crowded or cramped. The departments seems to flow together thanks to Katayama’s consistent use of the same materials in different ways.

The store appears spacious, well organized and with lots of room for the flow of traffic. The ‘flavors’ of the different departments seem to come together to form a well-connected experience for shoppers.

 

Posted by SheriCyprus at 8 July, 2011

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