French architect Franklin Azzi designed a laconic and elegant boutique for a Chinese fashion brand. 

Ksenia Oshchepkova

The flagship boutique of the Ep Yaying brand has opened in Shanghai, which is located in a three-story colonial-era house. Creative Director of Ep Yaying Serge Roufier commissioned the French architect Franklin Azzi, known to him for the design of the Isabel Marant showroom in Los Angeles, to work on its interior. Together, Rufier and Azzi developed a new architectural concept for all Ep Yaying boutiques, laying the idea of contrasts and oppositions as its basis.

Photo: Matjaz Tančič

The very architecture of the building in which the store is located suggested this idea. Here the old meets the new: the authors of the project turned the colonial mansion into a modern space with a glass facade and bare concrete floors. Azzi paid special attention to the selection of materials and textures, creating spectacular contrasting pairs: lacquer panels and porous concrete, glossy glass and velvet carpets, hand-embroidered curtains and expressively peeling walls. Massive shelves made of jadeite with a polished top and an uneven bottom edge became a real decoration of the interior. 

Photo: Matjaz Tančič

Photo: Matjaz Tančič

Photo: Matjaz Tančič

Azzi used nuanced shades: the architect complemented the ash-gray color of concrete and brick with warm yellow and carrot. Especially for the project, he came up with light furniture on thin metal legs, echoing with black rails and rods inside the racks. The result is a minimalist space with delicate color accents, tactile surfaces and restrained layering that meets the aesthetic concept of the brand. 

Photo: Matjaz Tančič

Photo: Matjaz Tančič

Photo: Matjaz Tančič

Photo: Matjaz Tančič

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