Salone, the founder and design director of Salone Del Salon, has created two wedding dress boutiques in Zhengzhou, China. The two stores were designed with an unprecedented sense of ceremony, adding a romantic touch to the bridal gowns. Unfolded with the dimension of time, the space arrangement made the wedding store not just a single showroom, but breaking the stereotype of its pure white, soft, and curved furnishings. The design has explored the possibility of multi-dimensional integration of bridal shops.
Vera Wang
Vera Wang, a prominent wedding dress brand, has revolutionised the industry by creating a new era of personalised wedding dresses. Their pioneering designs convey love and beauty, while also showcasing the bravery and freedom of modern women. Le’Precious opened a concept store that exclusively showcased Vera Wang’s bride collections.
Taking “Traces of Time” as the design inspiration of the Vera Wang boutique, Salone Del Salon intended to create a sense of ritual in the “interior architectural structure” to confront the “atmosphere and emotion” of the space and envision a romantic realm with a “dramatic flair”.
The design of the boutique tells a narrative of a love story that commences amidst the chaos of time. In the deep dark tone of the store frontage, a brilliant touch of rose pink emerges at the entrance, where the white wedding dress indicates the essence of this space to the visitors. Through an arc-shaped screen, a glimpse into the inside of this space will evoke the curiosity of customers, leading them into the unknown realm.
In the delightful rose pink canvas that can trigger dopamine release in the brain, black outlines the framework, leaving white to be the exclusive shade of the wedding dress itself. The designer expressed his inspiration via the bold color of rose pink in an innovative way, making the entire showroom as vibrant as a blooming rose. The brimming vibrancy and energy in the space result in a free-spirited, avant-garde, and fashionable ambiance.
The designer drew inspiration from the Prada fall/winter 2012 menswear fashion show design by AMO to deconstruct spatial form and presenting color contrast, creating a sense of collision and romantic drama in an exaggerated manner and fully utilising the European elements in design. Four Doric pillars support a dome, it is a multi-functional area that integrates fitting and interaction. It becomes the visual center that gathers the focus of the audience, In this core area that incorporates the elegant combination of rose pink and black, every customer can shine as the protagonist.
The design philosophy behind the European-style elements, which serve as a metaphor for classical romanticism, is characterized by both delicacy and rationality. The linear texture of the European-style wooden wall panel is a result of a complex manufacturing process. The intricate details and ingenuity involved in this process have been skillfully kept and showcased in the wall decoration.
The classic European floral patterns transform into traces of time, eternally lingering upon the spatial structure and wall decoration forms, light and graceful.
Multiple geometrically framed display windows encircled the space, creating an illusion of an “in-between” space, blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoors. This design captures the free-spirited and fashionable aesthetics. The vibrant colors and mirror wonderfully complement the timeless elegance of the wedding dresses.
This black and pink space is not only a bridal shop, but also a “city lounge.” It is a new attempt at a cross-over exploration of commercial operations. Salone Del Salon combined the innovative experience of “wedding dress + afternoon tea” by placing black tables and chairs beyond the dome, to create a distinctive social consumption scene that aligns with urbanities’ desire of diverse trendy lifestyles.
Le’Precious
Two kilometres away from the Vera Wang boutique, another venue opened by Le’Precious serves as a collection store featuring wedding dresses from the leading global luxury bridal brands, which offers a one-stop immersive experience of wedding dress selection.
Drawing inspiration from the concept of “wedding dress and bride, marriage and love”, Salone Del Salon created a space design that reflects the emotional journey of a love story. The design incorporated two clues of time and emotional transition, which blended seamlessly into the space. By incorporating the passage of time from daytime to twilight, dusk to dawn; by depicting the emotional changes from excitement and anticipation to moments of confusion and anxiety, and finally to a sense of fulfillment and hope, the space truly captures the essence of the transitional moments of sentiments.
The entrance sets the tone for the space, with a minimalist and concise design that stands out from other stores in the area. The clean and pure facade texture reflects the hopeful anticipation of a bride-to-be.
Entering the store, customers will immediately step into a long passageway, which evokes emotions that rise and fall much like the twists and turns experienced in the journey of love. While the exterior is white and clean, the interior interweaves black and orange, reminiscent of the time when day turns to dusk and the sunsets.
Upon reaching the reception area at the end of the passageway, customers may have a rest after a long journey. The deep-toned passage area highlight the elegance of classic wedding dresses. The light changes from pink to orange and then to bright white, which symbolises regaining hope. The colours that adorn the main exhibition hall set the emotional tone of the space, creating a truly immersive experience.
Serving as the core visual attraction, the five unique metal sculpture-like installations can move flexibly along the square ceiling light tracks. This innovative design concept anticipated endless possibilities for product display and shows in the future.
The arrangement of the space layout resembles playing chess, with the square ceiling light track serving as the “chessboard” which simulates the skylight and daylight in the early morning, while the movable metal sculpture installations take on the role of the “QUEEN”. The circular magnetic follow spots cast the spotlight on the bride’s brilliance to highlight an air of queen-like aura of confidence.
