E Studio's showroom for Higold, the FRAME Awards May winner, transforms commercial display into a museum-like journey.
The lines between indoors and outdoors are blurred in the best way in E Studio’s Showroom submission. Claiming the top spot, its design for Higold's Outdoor Furniture Showroom scored an impressive 8.68. The project reimagines commercial space as a ‘modern art museum’ that moves beyond typical product displays. Located at Higold's Interstellar Headquarters, the design showcases comprehensive high-end home hardware solutions through a curated, gallery-like experience that sparks reflection on the future of living.
Cover Photo and above: WM Studio
Sinks stand in precise formation like sentinels, creating visual rhythm as visitors wander freely among them. Clean lines and stainless steel underscore the concept’s studied restraint, while symmetrical slopes add gravitas to everyday objects. Higold’s Outdoor Furniture Showroom presents a ‘stunning use of form through the architecture – from criling curves to doorways combined with a sensitive use of colour to create a soft and enveloping space,’ as Holly Hallam, May Awards juror and co-owner of DLSM Studio noted. Strategic sightlines capture attention, turning simple walk-throughs into opportunities for discovery.
Photo: Sensory Design Wang Ting
Earning an honourable mention in the Hotel category with a score of 8.58, W.Design's Deqin Meri Poodom Hotel is perched at 3,600 meters on Meili Snow Mountain's viewing platform. Designer Wu Bin transformed the space into his ‘home in the snow mountains’. Drawing inspiration from Tibetan dwelling textures and Tnkhar house structures, the design integrates modernist language with raw, organic locality. Every visit becomes a special encounter, every memory uniquely personal, as the hotel transcends being mere physical sanctuary to become a spiritual cavern open to the mountain's magnificence. ‘A poetic retreat, absolutely spectacular!’ said Matthysen’s founder and jury member Johann Matthysen.
Photo: Jose Hevia
Raul Sanchez Architects came in with an impressive entry in the House category with Casa Magarola, scoring 8.43. Perched on a dramatic 100% slope, the house respects natural terrain while avoiding deep excavation into slate rock. Lightly elevated on slender concrete screens, it preserves the site's profile and blends seamlessly into surroundings. Luc Bouliane, a juror this month and a principal at Lebel & Bouliane Architects, felt that Casa Magarola was a nimble example of designing with location in mind, saying that it ‘takes advantage of the expansive views of the hillside site, while limiting its ecological footprint with well-considered passive design features’. The design follows the golden ratio in plan and elevation, while sustainable strategies include radiant floor heating, aerothermal systems and photovoltaic panels.
Photo: ZC Architectural Photography Studio
E Studio's success wasn’t limited to one Showroom entry; its second recognition this month comes with the Higold Hardware Museum Exhibition Hall, which achieved a score of 8.31. The space continues the studio's museum-like approach. May jury member and chief interior designer at Gemdale Corporation, Banghui Wei, was positive about the project and its goals, noting that ‘its visual design helps visitors imagine future living possibilities, linking traditional craftsmanship with innovative home solutions.’ Strategic lighting utilization and sustainable materials like highly recyclable stainless steel and environmentally friendly Pandomo create a space that stretches beyond mere sensory delight.
Photo: Daisuke Shima
Completing May's honours, Masterd's Tacubo Shirokanedai restaurant scored 8.15 in the Restaurant category. ‘This design is visceral – translating the narrative into a one-of-a-kind dining experience,’ commented Bethany Gale, Awards juror and interior design director at Stonehill Taylor. An elongated underground descent guides guests through narrow passages before revealing expansive dining spaces, echoing the experience of entering ancient caves. Every surface – floors, walls, ceilings – is crafted from tsuchi, or ‘earth’, using traditional Japanese plastering techniques. The wood-fired kitchen faces a curvilinear wine cellar housing 1,300 bottles. In an era of sensory overload, Tacubo offers a simple, subtle counterpoint that shows the ultimate luxury lies in authenticity, not excess.
