Studio Paul Chan transformed a 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival bell tower in Los Angeles’s Koreatown into Elorea, a sculptural perfumery and café. The design explores how scent can be experienced spatially—through light, material, and rhythm. A looping figure-eight display creates a ritualistic journey under the building’s historic dome, where guests meander through top, heart, and base notes like a living fragrance.
Materials were chosen for contrast and tactility: charred Shou Sugi Ban wood evokes ancient coastal craft, while CNC-milled aluminum and dark reflective glass inject a cyber-industrial edge. The inverted ziggurat form of the perfume bar nods to ceremonial altars, while the stone bar top has a hand-finished texture reminiscent of ink-wash landscapes. At night, underlit perfumes shimmer like votive candles, heightening the sense of intimacy and reverence.
The café extends this ritual of translation—offering drinks inspired by the perfumes themselves, blending taste and scent into shared experience. This is more than a boutique—it is an immersive environment where hyper-modern forms are wrapped in elemental materials, and architecture becomes a vehicle for feeling.
Elorea Perfumery & Café
Studio Paul Chan
Silver

1 / 15

Peter Meinders
Lecturer
at Saxion University of Applied Sciences
Stunning use of materials. Very tec...
7.5
8
8.5
7
7.75

Jessica Dimcevski
Founder and Creative Director
at Blurr Bureau
Dramatic. Beautiful use and contras...
8
8
8.5
6.5
7.75

Sarika Shetty
Partner
at SJK Architects
Material tactility beautifully atte...
7.5
7.5
7.5
7.5
7.5

Sam Derrick
Managing Director
at Brinkworth
7.5
7
8
7.5
7.5

Laetitia Murguet
Founder
at Oani Studio
8
8
8.5
7
7.88

Billy Ip
Principal, Global Sector Leader - Retail
at Woods Bagot
beautiful use of material and light...
7.5
7
8
7.5
7.5

Hong-Bo Cheng
Founder and Creative Designer
at LubanEra·Design
7
7
7
7
7

Fo Chen
General Manager
at Guangzhou Baietan Mixc
8
7.5
8
8.5
8
Kevin Mclachlan
CEO
at NOMADK
excellent use of space and lighting...
7
8.5
8
8
7.88
Designer
Client
Elorea
Floor area
108 ㎡
Completion
2024
Budget
600,000 USD
Millwork fabrication
LATEST SUBMISSIONS
MORE PROJECTS
Hortensia Herrero Art Centre
Gold

Zara Ski Verbier
Silver

Hyundai Motorstudio Senayan Park
Silver

Scusa
Silver

Van B
Gold

The Cube Canary Wharf
Silver

V&A Photography Centre
Silver

L’École School of Jewelry Arts - Dubaï
Silver
-thumb.jpg)
Macquarie Group Americas Headquarters
Silver

Nikko Style Niseko Hanazono
Silver