From façade to fitting rooms, and everything in between, Stefano Tordiglione Design pulled out all the stops for the creation of L’Aurora at Happy Valley Shopping Mall in Guangzhou. What resulted was a striking yet harmonious design concept that spans the 1,000 square metre store, set over two floors.

Immediately the design of L’Aurora is impressive. Its façade references the works of Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, whose art features strong, dark lines and rectangular blocks of colour. L’Aurora’s storefront features pale hued and patterned glass, double-layered for greater impact, and set amongst bold lines. Inside customers experience more of a sense of the bold colours of Mondrian, through the designer’s use – and design – of carpets with bright spots, swirls, prints and patterns and vibrant sofas that appear throughout the store to create a warm and welcoming, yet energetic vibe. This feeling continues throughout the first floor’s womenswear section and upstairs to a second floor that features VIP rooms and menswear collections.

Continuing the homely ambiance there is extensive shelving throughout, reminiscent of a library. Downstairs, shelving has been created in warm wood and these library sections have been filled with mannequins, various accessories and chic designer apparel, all backed with gold wallpaper and frosted colored glass. Rows of books and compartments fronted with tinted glass in pastel tones break up these areas and lend greater diversity to these surfaces, creating a comfortable feeling. Elsewhere, stand-out accessories collections have been placed in shelves of bright red lacquer.

The sprawling space is not only split up using intermittent seating areas but Stefano Tordiglione Design also makes use of passageways and intriguing hanging displays. Two large round birdcage-like areas are created from vertical metal poles. One ingeniously holds hanging rails for clothing that can be hung both inside and outside, while the second displays only shoes. Within more sofas create circles within circles.

An impressive and architecturally challenging staircase, given the mall’s many beams, leads to the second floor. It is backed by a Mondrian-inspired feature wall, this time made up of panels of beige, gold and silver which prepares customers for the more masculine vibe upstairs. Here wooden floors triumph over downstairs’ marble ground and there are cork walls with silver lines and a predominance of green and grey hues to contrast the warm browns and reds downstairs. And yet there is continuity. The cashier desks upstairs and down are both of the bright red lacquer that gives a subtle hint to Chinese culture while adding to the flow of the design.

VIP fitting rooms for men and women feature heavy velvet curtains, in pink for the women and green for the men, and combine brown wood with bright oranges and other clashing colours for a vibrant, contemporary feel, designed to fill customers at L’Aurora with an awe and energy that prevails throughout.

Photos: Stefano Tordiglione Design Ltd