Exhibition and experience design come together in the Foshan showroom of ceramic tile brand Overland, this month’s Frame Awards-winning space.

Designed by AD Architecture, the interior – submitted in the category of Light – splits the display of the tiles into four categories. A combination of horizontally and vertically aligned surfaces communicate an architectural aesthetic, which accentuates the textures of Overland’s luxury ceramic products. Enhancing clients’ sensory perception and encouraging their imaginations to flow was paramount to the designers. To do so, the team maximized use of natural light in accentuating the 890-sq-m space’s geometric forms, utilizing luminaires only where necessary.

For Overland’s Foshan showroom, AD Architecture used the interaction of light and the geometric forms of ceramic tiles to create a sensory experience that evokes imagination.

Shire Space Research Office's workplace is a minimalistic, residential-inspired space.

The Overland showroom rated highest in creativity, with a score of 7.8 overall. ‘This is a very interesting take on a ceramics showroom,’ says Yorgo Lykouria, creative principal at Rainlight. ‘Rather than putting the materials on display with the customary array of swatches, it uses the “raw” material to create a spatial experience.’ Likewise, KOGAA founding partner Alexandra Georgescu calls it a ‘wonderfully curated sanctuary for materials exploration.’ ‘Basing the spatial performance on natural lighting is excellent,’ notes wAtelier director Mieke Watanabe. ‘I believe it also helps the visitors appreciate the materiality of the company’s product line.  

Our first honourable mention has also been awarded to a Chinese project – Shire Space Research Office, a workplace for its namesake design studio in Hangzhou. The 100-sq-m Small Office (7.29) provides its users with a minimalistic space framed after a residential environment: each of the work zones is conceived in parallel to a living area. Taking a more colourful approach to office interiors is Studio Stockholm Architektur’s King Headquarter, a workspace for Stockholm gaming company King. A contender in the Colour category (7.22), the playful, vibrant design (and third-place project) is the result of a collaboration between the studio and King’s branding team. 

The bright colours and whimsical forms found in gamemaker King’s Stockholm headquarter transports you into a video game

Located in Shanghai, Wat Store merges its urban vibe with biophilic design principles.

Tijuana ramen bar Kemuri sports Shou Sugi Ban Siding, or charred wood, to express its chef's passion for smoke-cooking.

Shanghai bar Wat Store nabbed the third honourable mention. A ‘social retail’ hotspot and bar, the Topos Design space (7.18; Bar) blends its urban environment with biophilic design principles. Another bar – albeit a ramen bar – rounded out January’s Interior of the Month competition: Tijuana hospitality destination Kemuri (7.05) employs traditional Japanese charred wood to ambient, on-brand effect.