Intrepid Interiors: 6 Reasons Why Emerging Firm PMT Partners Should Be on Your Design Radar

Calling all architects, landscape architects and interior designers: Architizer's A+Awards allows firms of all sizes to showcase their practice and vie for the title of “World’s Best Architecture Firm.” Start an A+Firm Award Application today. 

Since its launch in 2016, PMT Partners has swiftly become a standout in architecture and interior design. This year, the firm claimed the A+Awards Popular Choice honor for Best Young Firm, cementing its reputation as a leader among emerging practices. Founded by lead architects Yan Hu, Weihao Zhao and Zhe Zeng, PMT Partners collaborates with clients across China and beyond, crafting spaces that reflect both contemporary needs and future aspirations. Their work is a response to the unpredictable nature of today’s world.

In particular, the studio’s interior projects are redefining the boundaries of spatial design. PMT Partners creates interiors that are not only visually striking but also provoke new ways of experiencing space. Through unexpected material choices, unconventional layouts and a fascinating interplay of light and shadow, their interiors break free from traditional design norms. Whether working in retail environments or cultural spaces, the firm prioritizes spatial fluidity and sensory engagement. In turn, their work results in transformative interiors that feel both intimate and dynamic. PMT Partners demonstrates that interiors can be radical without sacrificing functionality, shaping the future of interior design with projects that invite users to reimagine the spaces they inhabit. As they continue to push boundaries, they offer a vision for the future, one where design is grounded in timeless principles but open to new possibilities.

JIAMILA Islamic Fashion Flagship Store

Yiwu, Jinhua, China

The JIAMILA Islamic Fashion Flagship Store in Yiwu City blends local culture with Islamic design, creating a unique shopping experience for both residents and visitors. This three-story boutique features a stunning atrium with a pendentive structure inspired by Byzantine architecture, which serves as a focal point and attracts customers to the upper levels. The interior design incorporates concentric circles, winding corridors, and strategic lighting to enhance the sense of space while providing a ceremonial ambiance. With a layout that encourages exploration, the store showcases Muslim fashion through dynamic displays and distinct exhibition areas, offering a blend of modernity and tradition in a vibrant urban setting.

GEMART Smart Home Showroom

Guangzhou, China

The Dwelling Intelligent System Experience Showroom by PMT Partners for GEMART showcases cutting-edge whole-house smart technology, including intelligent lighting, curtains,and home theater systems. Encased in floor-to-ceiling glass walls, the showroom acts as a transparent display, allowing both visitors and passersby to observe dynamic changes inside. The two-story interior features cave-like display walls on the first floor and an immersive home theater on the second, where smart systems synchronize lighting, sound and curtains with a single command. The design creates an interactive space that blurs the line between product demonstration and living experience, offering a glimpse into the future of connected, intuitive homes.

Shenzhen Flagship Store of TFD

Shenzhen, China

The “Manufactured Nature” store blends fashion with an immersive ecosystem, imitating forests, valleys, and plant life across seasons. Inside the 5,380-square-foot (500 square meter) space, installations resemble natural forms like trees, streams and mountains, with “island” displays and bark-inspired treehouses serving as mini-stores for independent designers. The interior design combines hyperbolic aluminum plates, metal frames and natural materials like wood and reed to create a seamless balance between the artificial and natural. This thoughtful design symbolizes growth, creativity and sustainability, encouraging visitors to explore fashion in a setting that mirrors the cycles of nature.

Stand VIRG CASA 2019

Guangzhou, China

For VIRG CASA’s stand at the 2019 China (Guangzhou) International Building Decoration Fair, PMT Partners designed two interconnected exhibition halls, one triangular and one square, to blur the line between abstract ideals and practical living. The triangular hall’s symmetrical interior, with mirrored ceilings and sloping walls, evokes a sense of ritual and dreamlike space, while deep red tiles metaphorically represent a home that is cold on the surface but warm inside. Furniture and tiles are integrated into both halls as functional elements, art objects, and immersive design statements. Together, the spaces invite visitors to explore layered scenes and reflect on the intersection of aspiration and reality.

ZIPLAB Off-line Store, China by PMT Partners

Guangzhou, China

ZIPLAB, part of Onion Global’s business ecosystem, bridges online and offline retail through immersive, spectacle-driven interiors that blend commerce with experience. Stores like the Beijing Road location in Guangzhou explore the relationship between people, products and space, using interactive elements such as the Archive Hall, Charging Tower and Data Vault to guide visitors through symbolic consumer journeys. Designed as dynamic environments, these interiors foster exploration, using mirrored walls, compressed pathways and fragmented installations to create a futuristic, multi-sensory experience. The concept of “compression and decompression” is central to ZIPLAB’s philosophy, merging the physical and digital worlds to generate continuous consumer engagement.

SHEERIN Pavilion for 2023 Guangzhou Design Week

Guangzhou, China

The SHEERIN Pavilion at the 2023 Guangzhou Design Week reimagines exhibition spaces with sustainability at its core. Designed to showcase sintered stones, the pavilion mimics the experience of wandering through an artificial canyon, blending bold design with environmental responsibility. The space invites visitors to explore three interconnected volumes representing sound, light, and water, creating immersive environments through carefully crafted interiors. Inside, features like the “Sound Horn” speaker and the “Cut Light Cone” use innovative forms and materials to evoke sensory engagement, transforming the interior into a dynamic landscape of discovery.

Calling all architects, landscape architects and interior designers: Architizer's A+Awards allows firms of all sizes to showcase their practice and vie for the title of “World’s Best Architecture Firm.” Start an A+Firm Award Application today. 

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