The leading authority for the Architecture & Design community
April 29, 2021
Text: Quinn Halman
Atelier Right Hub Designs Fantasy Film-Inspired Hair Salon in Hangzhou, China
“The strategy of exposed concrete columns, steel beams and M.E.P system, painted white, refers to the brutalist-type structure,” the design team notes. Photography courtesy of Atelier Right Hub.
Walking into the Mirror Cube salon in Hangzhou, China, clients are immediately met with a monolithic, well, mirror cube of polished stainless-steel where convex, concave, and flat panels present a distorted reflection of reality from a multitude of vantage points. Inspired by the Soviet fantasy film “Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors,” interior design studio Atelier Right Hub positioned the waiting area and various salon chairs along the different sides of the structure, which also features a coffee counter. Inside the cube, VIP clients can access a lounge complete with private rooms for haircuts. “Our strategy was to integrate all amenities into the partition walls and cabinets,” the design team shares, noting the importance of organization in the pared-down space, which invites visitors to explore the infinite possibilities of their own reflections.
The mirrors against the building’s original walls reflect a collage of old and new elements. Photography courtesy of Atelier Right Hub.The reflective volume was inspired by the Soviet fantasy film “Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors.” Photography courtesy of Atelier Right Hub.Floor-to-ceiling windows on this downtown building boast views of the Qiantang River. Photography courtesy of Atelier Right Hub.The reception counter is made of cast-in-situ concrete resembling a stone block. Photography courtesy of Atelier Right Hub.The coffee counter next to the passageway through the mirror cube. Photography courtesy of Atelier Right Hub.The interior corridors of the cube. Photography courtesy of Atelier Right Hub.A VIP styling room within the cube. Photography courtesy of Atelier Right Hub.A hidden door opens into a private hairdressing station. Photography courtesy of Atelier Right Hub.
