The natural style has become a new favorite of the young generation, in order to keep abreast with the trend, a brand new zone with the theme “K11 Natural” is created by K11, the Art Mall located in the most flourishing district in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, within where nature, health and handicraft themed retailers and restaurants have been introduced. To be consistent with K11’s commitment to cultivating an atmosphere of art, and the five values from the Artisanal Movements (namely, Imagination, Bespoke, Craftsmanship, Heritage and Contemporary), the designers have turned the new zone, the 836 SQM spacious area on Level 2 of the Art Mall into a space of nature, beauty and arts. The young group is the main target. Numerous green artistic elements have been applied to vitalize the K11 Art Mall, and at the same time create a platform in the mall for everyone to interact in various aspects.

The other purpose of the design is to present a brand new, interesting lifestyle. In this new zone project, K11 collaborated with AS design team to build a “Modern Vivarium”. The chief designers Four Lau and Sam Sum brought up a new concept of “Terrarium” for the interior design project. The concept of “Terrarium” emerged in the eighteenth century, when a British named Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward found that microbes can survive in a sealed glass container. In addition, those natural ecological phenomena, such as photosynthesis, respiration and hydrological cycle can also be found, the sealed glass container is actually a balanced micro-ecological system. This kind of micro-ecological system can be self-sufficient. Which is why the Terrarium represents sustainability and vitality. It has also become a trendy option for new generation as home decoration.

The K11 Art Mall has always been committed to promoting “The Nature Value” which can be well illustrated by the characteristics of Terrarium. The design of the project regards the new zone as a “Terrarium”, and all the customers get to experience being inside. A great variety of natural materials including plants, moss, sand rocks and animal sculpted decorations have been employed, which brim the space with an atmosphere of both nature and artistic style. Customers get to experience how living in the micro-ecological system feels like. In this system, the connection between people and the nature is more tight. It is also a self-sufficient community where Art, People and Nature coexist. The designers believe through this new life concept of symbiosis between human and the nature, green aesthetic, handicrafts and the consciousness of environment protection can be advocated.

Walking into the new zone, the customers can be well aware of a vertical garden at the entrance. The coloring highlights the location of entrance, and at the same time creates the impression of vast arrays of plants. Customers would feel like being in a high-oxygen environment. Apart from the plants, there are rough cement walls, background of various animal sculpted decorations as well as the nature themed background light music, cultivating a calm, comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. All of these would strike a chord with people who are longing to the new lifestyle of symbiosis between Art, People and Nature. In such an environment, customers can finally shun the stressed, exhausted and bustling city and enjoy themselves with various services and leisure facilities in new lifestyle.

In the new zone, the rough cement walls go all the way up to the ceiling, while numerous irregular black mild steel frameworks extend from the ceiling to the floor, surrounding the whole area, making people feel like being in a Terrarium. Apart from visual effects, the black mild steel frameworks can also help cover the existing ventilation ducts on the ceiling and large structural columns. The retailers in the new zone can have their own culture theme, with their particular stories and unique products for customers to explore. All the fixtures in the new zone are eco-friendly, for example the lighting fixtures and monitors will be in LED series, materials like recycled wheels, recycled metals and additive-free formula eco paintings are also in place. They together convey messages of protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development, as well as representing an unprecedented new aesthetic perspective in the interior design field.

Design: AS Design Service