Interior Design, Retail DesignFlorence LMay 21, 2021CosmeteaCosmetea, Pop-Up, Shanghai, Interior Design

COSMETEA POP-UP SHOP || Futuristic Time Tunnel Experience in Shanghai Embodies The Brand's Philosophy and History

Interior Design, Retail DesignFlorence LMay 21, 2021CosmeteaCosmetea, Pop-Up, Shanghai, Interior Design

Cosmetea’s pop-up shop in Shanghai gives you a reason to look up from your phone.

Tucked neatly on a street corner, the bright coral concrete exterior attracts the attention of passersby as the pop-up shop leans against a rustic red brick wall. The mirrored tunnel entryway is set into a steel wall, portrayed as a time tunnel leading into the pop-up experience.

The brand Cosmetea incorporates various teas as key ingredients in their skincare and cosmetic collections, such as their Puer tea vital moisture collection and Rosebud tea moisture brightening collection. Tea is an ancient tradition that has become deeply ingrained in Asian culture and beyond. As a result, Cosmetea has infused the core benefits of different teas into its cosmetics and skincare lines, combining traditional tastes with trendy cosmetics.

Nax Architects was tasked with creating the brand’s pop-up experience in Shanghai. The pop-up is located on Yuyuan Road, a hundred-year-old road that has undergone many changes and represents the essence of Shanghai's history and culture. Today's Yuyuan Road has gained further recognition as Shanghai's trendy gathering place, demonstrating the power of innovation to influence the organic micro-regeneration of old neighbourhoods.

The team transformed an old steam dumpling shop into a retail and exhibition pop-up shop. The inspiration behind the pop-up’s design came from Cosmetea’s logo, which resembles a pendulum swing, inspiring the team to think of how cosmetics users’ hope for skincare products to help them pause the hands of time. The exterior steel wall shows the pendulum hanging from a string at the top.

*The geometric skylights above the tunnel draw in light to amplify the reflections within the tunnel*

The "time tunnel" uses a stainless steel mirror with LED string lights and combines with a large window to bring in urban and natural landscapes, thereby blurring its interior and exterior boundaries. The tunnel’s contents are visible from both the circular entryway facing the main street and the large glass window facing the alleyway. Cosmetea products are displayed on the shelves and stored in glass compartments embedded into the tunnel’s flooring, creating a multi-dimensional experience.

*Skincare products are displayed on the side facing the pedestrian walkway*

*Various collections are encased in glass compartments at your feet, intriguing you to look down at every step*

Each circular ring within the time tunnel represents a period of time in the past. Drawers invite visitors to rummage through to search for items of the past to learn about the brand’s history and interact with the design. It instills a sense of wonder and curiosity, allowing guests to briefly escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

During the day, the time tunnel invites you to transcend time and space by meandering your way through the futuristics tunnel. By night, the design lights up light an urban lighthouse. The pop-up space serves the purpose of deepening the brand’s connection with the people and city by providing the community with a new way to experience the brand’s philosophy and history.