The new DECK branch store has settled in Shanghai on the first floor of the Somekh Building. In this centenary building—a perennial classical representation of the Baroque Neoclassicism, traces of natural flows of time interweave mutually with renovations of different ages. In coordination with the spatial features, our design pivots around the creative idea of “parallel world”in which time threads through the spatial variations. Stark black-and-white contrasts and minute spatial alterations embody different historical moments, constructing a multi-dimensional spatial sequence.

The overture of welcoming plays as the guests are ushered in to explore the mysterious space through time by the metal arm that protrudes from the broken window above the storefront porch. The meticulously designed, elegant European-style curves prevail harmoniously around the rugged modern sculptures which feature industrial chic, infusing the space with a sharp sense of avant-garde aesthetics and intensive visual tension. Characteristic of the ArtDeco style, the epitome of Shanghai style, the black bronze door is in an elegant vintage fashion foreshadowing the unpredictable shift of time and space. Pushing open the door, you are also unlocking a medley of light and shadow ever changing in the past century as if a magnificent space rolling forth and expanding on a historical relic.

The sands of time have precipitated into the mottles on the pristine columns as well as the coarse texture of the black wall. The spiral staircases, dark and elegant, are ornated with exquisite European carvings of gothic beauty. Should you ascend the stairs, the winding corridors on the mezzanine allow you a closer examination of the beauty of the twilight.

The whirls and swirls of time are embodied in the huge metal ring surrounding the bar, whose sharp boundaries and glossy lines constitute a surreal spatiotemporal domain. The circle is distinguished by a line shaped by rusty steel plates and fine mirror steel, implying the interconnectedness of the past and future in time and space. Apart from imposing an intensive visual impact, the scene also indicates the transformation from the past, then the present to the future.

In the coffee area, while retaining the solid wood wallboard and floor of the Somekh Building, our design experiments with deconstructive techniques on metal perforated corrugated plates in order to represent the waving curtains. Such a combination evokes a tender yet gorgeously beautiful visual effect.

In this space, the sculpture "Eighty-four Thousand Years" created by the Buddhist artist Jiang Sheng sits at a critical juncture interconnecting throughout time and space the eschaton with a new world, the past with the future, individuals with others... In its graceful and free walk and embracing posture, the artwork illuminates a path leading to a promising future of reflection, regeneration and creation.