EXCAVATING CORE

CLIENT
LOCATION
COMPLETION
RENOVATION AREA
SCOPE
DESIGN  DIRECTORS
DESIGN TEAM
PHOTOGRAPHY
 LIVARY MIO
Shanghai, China
MAY 2026
115 m2
Interior Design, VM Design
Josh Ren, Baoer Wang
Liming Huang
WenStudio

Within the open and fast-moving environment of a contemporary shopping mall, retail spaces are often designed to project themselves outward. Livary Mio, however, begins from the opposite direction. As a lingerie brand rooted in inner order and authentic self-perception, it regards the body not as an object to be viewed, but as the starting point of emotion and awareness. The project envisions a warm interior capable of embracing body, emotion, and consciousness — an intimate environment where the experience gradually shifts from the exterior toward the self.

Located within Grand Gateway 66 in Shanghai, the site is long, narrow, and irregular in plan. Rather than conforming to its existing boundaries, the design inserts a complete terracotta-colored elliptical volume into the space, establishing a new internal order from within. Through a process of excavation, a series of functional spaces—including display niches, resting areas, and fitting rooms—are carved from its surface. Solid and void become mutually dependent, while completeness and subtraction coexist to generate a renewed spatial order. The interplay between the monolithic geometry and its warm terracotta tone creates a strong visual pull, drawing visitors inward from the relatively narrow storefront.

The excavated white niches also form a flexible display system. To accommodate the brand's evolving merchandising needs, adjustable display components are seamlessly integrated into the walls, allowing the space to continuously adapt to different modes of presentation, including single hanging rails, sidemounted systems, shelving, and wall-mounted torso displays. At the far end of the store, a larger excavated void connects the fitting rooms with a lounge area, extending the experience beyond display into moments of pause. Compared to conventional retail environments, the fitting rooms are deliberately enlarged, emphasizing privacy, comfort, and the importance of bodily experience within an intimate apparel store, where lingering becomes an essential part of the spatial experience.

Materiality and color continue the logic of inward excavation. The central elliptical volume is finished in a warm terracotta textured coating that extends seamlessly onto a matching micro-cement floor, allowing the core to read as a singular and continuous form. Surrounding surfaces are rendered in soft beige textured plaster with white terrazzo flooring, creating a restrained backdrop that contrasts both visually and tactually with the central volume. The terracotta hue not only extends the brand's established color language but also introduces a quiet sense of warmth and stability, shaping an immersive environment that feels enveloping, grounded, and emotionally resonant.

For Livary Mio, the store is not conceived simply as a container for products, but as a spatial vessel for bodily perception. By reversing the outward momentum of the commercial interior into a process of inward excavation, the project transforms space into something that embraces emotion and responds to the body. Through excavation, contrast, and continuity, it constructs a calm yet magnetic interior landscape, inviting visitors to undertake a journey inward—both physically and emotionally.









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