Eternal Hammer Vintage Store
The original building is a two-story steel frame building attached to the back of a gallery in the art district, and the skin is made of weathering steel. With a limited budget, how to use the existing conditions and create an atmosphere in line with the vintage store became the starting point of the design.
The site is located on the north side of the gallery building, and its plane shape is similar to a long and narrow cone. After repairing the thermal insulation and waterproofing problems of the site, the design retains the rough texture of the site and the narrow and long space. By placing a new frame and increasing the front and rear layers, a flexible partition that meets the functions and needs is created. All the fixed functions are arranged along the wall, leaving a large space in the middle to meet the different needs of vintage store dis- play, events, and office. In addition to the clear original architectural structure and design logic, the possibility of spatial dynamics and randomness is an attempt to change the mediocre form of the store.
Dynamics of the scene
Three hanging rails are designed on the top of the large space in the middle of the first floor, and a 4.6-meter-long steel pipe hanger is suspended under the hanging rails, which can be randomly arranged according to different needs of the space. There is a circular hole in the lower part of the frame against the wall, and L-shaped angle steel pieces are left on the wall, which can be flexibly placed for display boards. The second floor also retains a large space in the middle, and uses different furniture arrangements to display bags, shoes, ornaments and other non-hangable goods. The uncertainty of elements becomes the basis of scene dynamics.
Fun of mirroring
In order to guide the sight from outside to inside, we designed a standing mirror on the side of the window. At the same time, slide rails are hidden on the frame on the side of the wall, and another mirror of the same type is placed. With the sliding of the mirror, the two mirrors produce an interesting effect of echoing each other. The clothes and still life in the middle are reproduced repeatedly in the mirror, guiding the line of sight to generate the imagination of multiple spaces.
Growth of blue
After repeated communication with the brand, color is a highly operable strategy used in the space to create an overall atmosphere. The floor slab on the second floor serves as the blue center, the top of the first floor retains the original steel frame and is painted blue, and the ground on the second floor adopts blue epoxy floor. The hangers hanging on the top of the first floor and the hangers fixed on the ground of the second floor are also blue, establishing the relationship between the two floors and triggering the natural growth of colors.
Dialogue between old and new textures
The existing red brick texture on the wall and the weathering steel on the facade have been damaged. After being repaired and stabilized, they have become the traces of time in the building, and also reflect the ideal of reusing materials for vintage brands. Newly added materials, such as steel, birch boards, plaster, non-slip iron plates, and mirrors contrast with the original materials, creating a multi-layered dialogue in a small space.
