Only 10.6 m long and 3.5 m wide, fine-jewellery boutique Yin is by no means a large shop. But Okamoto Deguchi Design (ODD), the local studio behind the Beijing space, didn’t let that inhibit the project’s concept: it made up for a lack of spatial freedom with imaginative thinking, as evidenced by the creation of an intimate cloudscape.

Established in 2014, Yin forges minimal, delicate pieces from 18-carat gold, paying close attention to craftsmanship. ODD explains that the jewellery brand’s mission is to ‘create gold “tattoos” that profoundly accompany the owner, both physically and mentally’. The designers worked to incorporate that feeling of a lasting impression into the space itself, which is located within Beijing’s 150,000-sq-m retail centre, WF Central.

In such an expansive shopping environment, interiors run the risk of feeling overly commercial. Yin, though, is of another breed. The store’s installation-like centrepiece – an undulating ceiling of airy textiles that transition into a rear wall – sends the message that product pushing is not the sole purpose. Alongside the white cloudscape, gold-tone stainless-steel displays and chairs upholstered in grey fabric are the only deposits of colour.

The space’s small area actually works to ODD’s – and Yin’s – advantage. Amid the ‘clouds’, the browsing and buying experience is all the more relaxed, a welcome respite in the busyness of a Beijing shopping day.