Studio Paul Chan evokes "raw futurism" at LA perfume boutique
Los Angeles-based Studio Paul Chan has transformed a 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival bell tower in the city's Koreatown into a perfumery and cafe. The store, designed for Korean brand Elorea, occupies the tower designed by iconic LA firm Morgan, Walls & Clements, and Studio Paul Chan aimed to revive its original grandeur with his interior The post Studio Paul Chan evokes "raw futurism" at LA perfume boutique appeared first on Dezeen.
Los Angeles-based Studio Paul Chan has transformed a 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival bell tower in the city's Koreatown into a perfumery and cafe.
The store, designed for Korean brand Elorea, occupies the tower designed by iconic LA firm Morgan, Walls & Clements, and Studio Paul Chan aimed to revive its original grandeur with his interior design.
In the dramatic 1,160-square-foot (108-square-metre) space, the designer combined "scent, ritual, and raw futurism" to create an evocative experience for all of the senses.
"The project explores the poetic tension between cyber-industrial precision and ancient craft, layering high-performance surfaces with deeply elemental materials," said Chan.
"The challenge was to translate something as intangible and fleeting as scent into architectural form," he added.
"I wanted visitors to feel the space in layers — as they would a perfume's top, heart, and base notes."
Perfume bottles are primarily displayed on a central podium that traces an almost-complete figure-of-eight in plan.
The custom modular elements – created with Chan's longtime collaborator Jeremy Kim – comprise machined aluminium legs that support a stepped, textured black surface topped with dark reflective glass.
A cafe bar is positioned in front of three arched windows and is covered in square tiles of hand-chiselled wood treated with the Japanese charring technique known as Shou Sugi Ban.
The bar's design "evokes coastal village craft, while its inverted ziggurat form speaks to ceremonial altars," according to Chan.
Drinks served to customers are influenced by the ingredients used to create the perfumes, and can be enjoyed on small black stools that continue the same visual language as the displays.
At night, the bottles presented on the podiums are illuminated from below to create an ethereal glow.
Soft, warm lighting from wall sconces and hidden cove lights behind an amorphous mirror and under the bar ledges lend the space a ritualistic atmosphere.
"This is not just a boutique, but an immersive installation — where hyper-modern forms are wrapped in elemental materials, and architecture becomes a vehicle for feeling," said the designer.
Chan founded his eponymous studio in 2018, following stints at firms including Kelly Wearstler, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and ASH.
His earlier projects include a shop interior for a non-alcoholic beverage brand that referenced the opening scene from Wes Anderson's film The French Dispatch.
Another Los Angeles project recently seen on Dezeen was a "small and cosy" office divided by glass bricks.
The photography is by Ye Rin Mok.
Project credits:
Design architect: Studio Paul Chan
Client: Elorea
Millwork fabrication: Jeremy Kim and Will Carlson
Landscape design: Krystal Chang
The post Studio Paul Chan evokes "raw futurism" at LA perfume boutique appeared first on Dezeen.
