Creating a Fairytale World in the City
Interview
Text by Cai Ting Ru, Space Design and Image Data Provided by Karv One Design Project Data: Mainland China, Shanghai / Approximately 253 square meters Facing the Polar Ocean Park in Shanghai’s newest urban development area, Karv One Design has created a fairytale world by bringing in cute elves into this space, which is a coffee shop that incorporates IP themes and storytelling, as well as diverse elements like art decoration, book bar, light food, and shared space. This design not only makes the experience richer and more interesting, but also enhances emotional communication among local residents. Shanghai is the city with the most coffee shops in the world, and coffee culture has become another business card for the city. It is therefore important to create a unique and different experience. Kyle Chan, the founder of Karv One Design, hopes to turn “MOOM COFFEE” into a healing coffee shop that attracts young people with themes like “fantasy forest,” “aurora,” and “elves,” creating beautiful memories for them. Through the dreamlike scene, customers are attracted to stay and interact, creating a unique experience that emphasizes “light business and heavy experience.” The IP Shop within the store is a cultural experience space designed for the new generation of customers, where various trendy cultural and creative IPs are displayed and sold, providing a place for young people to communicate and resonate culturally. The coffee shop is housed in a single building with a streamlined architectural form. In the interior design, the curved line is continued, and the curved blocks connect various spaces, such as the curved bar, rotating staircase, wall lines, and curved seats, triggering a sense of wandering and providing artistic freedom of interpretation for the space. Maximizing visual impact, the design also increases the sense of scene and experience. The winding curved doorway design, like the windows of a castle, greatly enriches the visual space and connects the two-story space, enhancing the spatial relationship. Although the space is fixed, people are mobile, and the interesting window opening relationships make people a part of the scenery in the space.