DOK Design Showroom And Studio

Architect & Design: DOK Design
Area: 320 m²
Year: 2024
Photography: Lin Cong
Chief Designer: Deng Peiguo
Woodwork Unit: Okk Woodwork
Contractor: DOK Design
Floorings: TERiWOOD
Cement Tiles: FLORINA
City: Jing’an District, Shanghai
Country: China

DOK Design Showroom and Studio, designed by DOK in Jing’an District, Shanghai, transformed a former textile factory into a multifaceted space for reception, display, lounge, and office areas. The 320 m² project, completed in 2024, respects the site’s history while integrating contemporary design elements. Utilizing TERiWOOD floorings and FLORINA cement tiles, the project includes a freehand brushwork-inspired wall, flexible home display arrangements, and a tea-tasting area blending Eastern and Western aesthetic concepts.

The surrounding environment can establish a spiritual connection with consciousness through spatial constructions, atmospheres, and tactile surroundings. Spaces are not reducible to a single expression. Through elements like time, emotion, light, shadow, aura, and imagination, they gain meaning – recalling the spirit of ages past or evoking present energy.

Respecting the history and pre-existing architecture, the design transformed a former textile factory into a functional spaces. The new layout includes a reception, display, lounge, office, and more, revitalizing 320 m² at No. 721 Lingshi Road.

At the east end, the circulation path expands the interior layout, transitioning from a winding trajectory to more open movement. Traditional oriental gardens use visual and tactile means to suggest boundlessness from the finite. A solid wall at the entrance obscures direct views, inviting exploration. The interior facade, formed by intersecting horizontal and vertical elements, suggests spatial flow. Sculptural granite at the wall’s base echoes Chinese brushwork and nature’s relationship between mountains and rivers.

In the home display area, furnishings and décor create an elegant, comfortable atmosphere. Cabinets of various forms and materials are displayed, with flexible furniture arrangements presenting potential spatial organizations. A sloped ceiling echoes the original roof, retaining the skylight and reflecting natural light.

The dark timber ceiling panels near the entrance define a spatial transition, recalling the site’s history. A freestanding white marble bar introduces Western lifestyle concepts. The timber cabinet beneath the bar features butterfly doors that reveal proportional openings when open and a solid wooden facade when closed. The design’s neat lines evoke traditional decorative charm.

Art forms life’s unseen aspects, making sensations and emotions visible. Objects like tables, chairs, and vases, when closely examined for their origin and texture, remain fresh and withstand the test of time. Surrounding ourselves with chosen objects reflects our aesthetic tastes, embodying a lifetime of experience. Exploring objects’ spiritual potential and relation to the body enriches life.

“A well-ordered, systematically constructed space will give people the impression of tranquility, order, and decorum.” – Le Corbusier

Steps off the entrance lead to the lounge and tea-tasting area, two different reception forms. An eclectic selection of table utensils, vintage lamps, folding screens, handmade rugs, and ceramics creates a welcoming atmosphere. Warm light permeates the room, inviting guests to relax. Some ceramic bowls hold incense, its aroma slowly curling into the air.

The tea-tasting area, adjacent to the external terrace, extends the room’s spatial scale. The lounge and tea room connects through an implied progression, integrating shifting scenery with each step, creating a visually rich setting. Today, “the East” refers to aesthetic concepts and sensibilities flowing within our cultural context. The meditative taste of tea integrates these concepts into daily life.

At the rear, guests experience a change in color palette with dark timber cabinets in shaded areas. An arched ceiling evokes the sacred, with natural light entering through an original skylight. Light and dark define the room’s sections, presenting a striking visual contrast.

Transforming complex concepts into clear objects requires an organic process between subject and object, imagination and image. The objective world is eternal, but mindsets shift with environments and spaces. “Audible silence” derives from the rich, subtle “sound” of a profound inner world beneath seemingly “silent” surfaces.