Header: HereSpace, He Chuan
ENJOYDESIGN and Bluemoon Design conceived a series of commercial spaces at a street corner in Optics Valley, Wuhan, a fast-paced hub of high-tech innovation, softened by parks and green spaces that offer moments to pause. The project responds to this duality, creating spaces grounded in everyday life while attuned to the city’s energy and rhythm.
Rather than shaping a conventional retail environment, the design team developed a curatorial and operational framework that balances two complementary ambitions: nurturing lifestyle, emotional experience and social connection, while maintaining spatial clarity and functional order. The result is a place where diverse lifestyles and experiences unfold organically, fostering lasting engagement and adaptability.
A new vision for street corner retail
The project introduces a cluster of non-standard commercial spaces along a street corner near a park. These small, scattered commercial “boxes” stand as self-contained scenes of urban life, yet manage to merge with the natural surroundings.
Unconventional layouts and forms give each box a distinctive spatial identity. Scale, proportion, materiality and circulation are orchestrated in a non-formulaic manner, allowing the architecture to integrate naturally into the urban fabric rather than appear as a disruptive commercial presence.
Different functions are interwoven and connected through a fluid circulation, such as sports with wellness, dining with socialising and music with culture. These spaces transcend display or retail functions, becoming places for encounters, memories and everyday moments. Their non-standard forms and curated detailing offer a rare flexibility that is responsive to current needs and open to future possibilities.
Where commerce blends into social life
Day-to-Night Lounge
Rather than seeking quick transactions, these spaces embrace a long-term vision where commerce integrates into daily life, inviting use, lingering and repeated visits.
The spatial journey begins in a day-to-night lounge. By day, it serves as a space for tea and conversation; as night falls, it effortlessly shifts into a bar. This dual rhythm creates a soft transition from the city to the experiences that follow.
Warm wood and ambient lighting create a calm atmosphere, while subtle shifts in detail add a sense of ease. The bar counter is crafted from layered stones with simple geometric cuts, subtly referencing classical inlay traditions. Curated wall lines sweep through the wine cabinet, bookshelves, and vertical circulation, creating a fluid rhythm throughout the space.
Dining Area
The dining area is conceived as a space to linger, where daily life unfolds at an unhurried pace. Warm wood, matte metal and textured stone establish a calm, tactile backdrop, while pared-back classical motifs are woven into the contemporary spatial framework, creating a balance between order and ease. The space is not rigidly defined, allowing it to adapt and evolve with future use.
Booth seating creates an intimate setting, accommodating a variety of rhythms (from brief pauses and casual conversations to extended shared moments). Solid tabletops and upholstered seating maintain a balance between ritual and comfort, fostering a relaxed, unhurried ambience.
A layered composition of textured stones forms the bar counter, paying homage to traditional craftsmanship. Warm concealed lighting, vintage pendants and natural light filtering through louvres create a soft, shifting rhythm throughout the day. Overhead, a vintage-style crystalline chandelier diffuses warm light, adding a sense of ceremony while introducing an interplay of classical references and contemporary expressions.
Reading Lounge
Ascending to the second floor, the reading lounge continues the calm, restrained tone. Low-backed, lightweight furniture balances scale, tactility and function, creating a setting where reading and quiet conversation unfold naturally.
Daylight and soft artificial lighting mingle to bathe the space in a gentle, even glow, supporting focused reading and unhurried pauses. Materials and details are kept understated, lending the space a quiet, poised presence. Open circulation, human-scaled furnishings and subtle artistic touches foster a gentle, spontaneous social rhythm.
Record Store
Dark wood shelving and a gently curved display wall form a composed backdrop for the record store, with vinyl records displayed under warm light, creating a quiet, immersive listening atmosphere.
At the centre, a contemporary audio installation reinterprets classic audio archetypes, anchoring the space visually. This area resonates with the day-to-night lounge, weaving music into everyday life and creating a subtle cultural touchpoint within the city.
A response to everyday use
Camping Gear Store
The outdoor camping store acts as a gentle threshold between city life and nature. Signage and clusters of greenery gently define its edges, softening the commercial boundary while echoing the nearby park.
Open shelving presents camping gear in a relaxed rhythm, easing the sense of overt retail. In the corners, camping chairs and outdoor tables turn displays into moments for pause and exploration.
Lifestyle Store
The lifestyle store continues the warm, relaxed tone, with wooden open shelving casually displaying everyday objects. Natural textures and handmade pieces resonate with the outdoor setting, extending a continuous tactile experience. The meandering circulation and informal displays make the space feel less like a shop and more like a corner encountered during a daily walk, supporting shopping while sustaining a rhythm grounded in daily life.
This project is not a formulaic commercial development but a thoughtfully curated pause amid urban hustle and bustle. From the day-to-night lounge to the adaptable dining and social areas to the camping gear and lifestyle stores that seem to grow organically from their surroundings, each space responds to the same question: how can commerce serve daily life with restraint, rather than define it?
ENJOYDESIGN and Bluemoon Design take a deliberately restrained approach, allowing everyday life to take centre stage. The space offers a quiet reminder: the city needs places where people can pause, breathe freely and form genuine connections amid the urban hustle.
