The Hafary Gallery unconventionally approaches retail space that conveys the client’s brand story of customer centricity, where retail experience is carefully crafted to help forge emotional connections with customers, increasing customer dwelling time and posit a feel-good factor. 

More than just mere surface coverings, the project thus adopts an experimental motif to define showroom spaces through tiles in a refreshing way, providing a new expression on the versatility of tiles. Part of the design challenge was thus to maintain experiential excitement through the predominant expression of a singular material, which required delving deep into the nuances of various collections of tiles. 

Unlike conventional showrooms that often showcase a plethora of collections neatly placed side by side, limited tiles were judiciously shortlisted to be showcased to reduce visual clutter with an emphasis of drawing one’s attention to the selected tile’s unique trait within a specific zone. This eventually meant convincing the clients that less is more whilst finding a perfect balance between creating meaningful spaces and exhibiting tiles. The showroom thus transcends monetary transactions, evolving to be one of unexpected sensorial stimulation, an easily accessible architectural engagement to the community on the tectonics of tile finishes. It is with this vision, that the showroom naturally becomes an educational platform. 

From the physical, to the normative - and everything in between - visitors and customers are assured an unexpected sense of empowerment in their design choices with each visit, especially for those not in the design profession. As a visual spectacle, The Gallery enchants one’s imaginations by taking them on a dream-like journey, a series of curated experiential spaces with elements of surrealism. Each area within the Gallery is designed with unique stylistic approach, creating differentiated experiences for customers at every turn, ranging from enigmatic spaces to those found in our everyday lives, i.e. living or bathrooms. Though individually distinct, spaces are coherently themed, where change of style and materials to hint at spatial transitions can only be subtlety felt as one traipses from one zone to the next. 

Finally, it is at the heart of the Gallery where a central plaza binds the various experiences together, an observable landmark from many points. Envisioned to be a node that fosters interaction or even host community-driven/private events, a biophilic approach was adopted through the careful selection of shade thriving tropical species that bode well with air-conditioned environments and grow-lights. Coupled with overhead barrisol lights, the interior of the plaza is akin to an outdoor plaza aimed at fostering comfort and calmness amongst shoppers, a positive and welcoming in-store experience for all.