Rambutan and dragon fruit perched above carefully cradled custard apples; neatly stacked boxes holding a mouth-watering array of dumplings, buns, and noodles; street stalls serving up hot soup dishes. These images were front of mind during the development of our first signature store in Taichung, which was inspired by the city’s fresh food markets and the way they support the everyday lives of Taiwanese people. Designed with longstanding collaborators Torafu Architects, inhabiting a two-storey building on a leafy street, the space is gregarious yet pragmatic.
The layout of the store centres on an expansive, communal basin that wraps around an existing pillar. This allows for an easy flow of circulation, congregation, and mingling. The product shelves are tiered—stacked modular boxes that evoke those found in local markets. These fixtures are predominately made of hardboard, which is commonly used as a packaging material. Citrus Mélange Body Cleanser, Mandarin Facial Hydrating Cream and Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Intense Serum—and our full product range, for that matter—stand in for their edible counterparts, waiting to be plucked . The custom-made light fixtures that hover as an extension of the shelves recall the vibrant lamps that illuminate market wares.
