A series of tall, pivoting metal racks unfolds across the floor, their mesh panels and angled shelves creating a dynamic, expandable storage system. A figure activates the mechanism, reinforcing the interactive nature of the display and the project’s emphasis on retrieval, movement and systematic organisation.

AIM Architecture Reimagines a Cosmetics Store in Beijing as an Art Storage Facility

Words by Yatzer

Beijing, China

At a time when beauty retail tends to oscillate between high-gloss luxury boutiques and softly lit wellness sanctuaries, HARMAY has carved out a markedly different path. Embracing an industrial, warehouse-inspired aesthetic, the Chinese cosmetics retailer has consistently reframed shopping as an exploratory act that is less about passive consumption and more about discovery, collection and personal curation.

A longstanding collaborator of the brand, Shanghai-based AIM Architecture has shaped numerous HARMAY stores, each time interpreting its utilitarian logic through a distinct conceptual lens; for its latest flagship at Beijing’s Hopson One Mall, the studio turns to the typology of art storage and museum archives—spaces where objects are not staged for display but systematically preserved, catalogued and retrieved. Transposed into a retail environment through a crisply minimalist, futuristic design lens, this approach succeeds in recasting beauty products as items of value rather than fleeting commodities.

A diagonal steel staircase with mesh balustrades cuts across a backdrop of warm timber panelling, juxtaposing industrial and tactile materials. In the foreground, pallet-based wooden display units soften the composition, balancing the store’s utilitarian language with a subtle warmth that recalls storage crates and workshop environments.

Photography © Seth Powers.

A classical white sculpture is housed within a timber-framed display niche, juxtaposed against steel mesh shelving and an industrial staircase beyond. The composition bridges museum display and warehouse storage, underscoring the project’s conceptual layering while introducing a moment of sculptural focus within the utilitarian setting.

Photography © Seth Powers.

A wide view reveals the store’s layered spatial composition, where a steel staircase and mesh partitions intersect with pallet-based timber displays. Overhead, linear strip lighting forms a luminous grid, amplifying the industrial character, while blurred figures in motion introduce a sense of fluidity within the otherwise precise, system-driven environment.

Photography © Seth Powers.

Glass-topped display tables framed in warm timber occupy the foreground, contrasting with the cool steel staircase and mesh shelving beyond. The interplay of materials—wood, metal and concrete—creates a balanced composition, where industrial rigour is softened by tactile elements, reinforcing the project’s dialogue between utility and refinement.

Photography © Seth Powers.

Spanning two levels, the interior unfolds through a system that merges circulation, storage and display into a single spatial language. A central staircase, constructed as a pragmatic metal framework stacked on top of integrated cargo boxes, anchors the experience, guiding visitors upwards in a fluid, almost intuitive manner. Around it, movable mesh panels, overhead shelving and modular display units create a flexible environment that can be continuously reconfigured.

Formally, the interior is articulated through a rigorous geometric language of repetitive linear elements and square grids. This disciplined vocabulary is expressed across shelving, mesh partitions and ceiling coffers, creating a sense of order and visual rhythm. In combination with a restrained palette of stainless steel, polished concrete and glass, these elements establish a monochromatic, gleaming backdrop that feels at once industrial and futuristic, lending the space an immersive, almost cinematic quality.

A narrow aisle framed by metal shelving units and mesh panels creates a precise, corridor-like perspective, drawing the eye toward a central display spine. Products are arranged sparingly, reinforcing the archival logic, while a blurred figure passing through introduces a temporal contrast to the otherwise static, ordered composition.

Photography © Seth Powers.

A series of tall, pivoting metal racks unfolds across the floor, their mesh panels and angled shelves creating a dynamic, expandable storage system. A figure activates the mechanism, reinforcing the interactive nature of the display and the project’s emphasis on retrieval, movement and systematic organisation.

Photography © Seth Powers.

Metal shelving units mounted on a wire mesh backdrop present products in a sparse, systematic arrangement, punctuated by a row of vivid red packaging. The strict horizontal layering and muted palette heighten the contrast, underscoring the store’s archival logic where each item is isolated, categorised and precisely positioned.

Photography © Seth Powers.

A customer pulls open an angled metal drawer from a mesh-backed shelving unit, revealing neatly arranged products within. The gesture emphasises the store’s archive-inspired logic, where items are retrieved rather than displayed, transforming browsing into an active, tactile process of discovery.

Photography © Seth Powers.

A frontal view of the central staircase emphasises symmetry and axial clarity, with timber-clad volumes anchoring the composition. Flanking display units echo warehouse pallets, while the ceiling’s continuous strip lighting accentuates depth and rhythm, reinforcing the space’s clean, futuristic interpretation of industrial retail architecture.

Photography © Seth Powers.

Viewed from above, a metal staircase with diamond-plate treads frames a dynamic retail floor below, where shelving arrays form a precise grid. A blurred figure in motion introduces a temporal layer, contrasting the rigid geometry with fluid circulation and reinforcing the store’s immersive, system-driven spatial choreography.

Photography © Seth Powers.

A juxtaposition of glass vitrines and turquoise shelving structures defines this open-plan retail zone, where circulation and display merge seamlessly. Elevated on wooden pallets, the fixtures reference warehouse logistics, while the restrained palette of steel, glass and concrete creates a calm, systematised setting softened by subtle material contrasts.

Photography © Seth Powers.

Within this sleek environment, subtle inflections are introduced to temper the austerity. Wooden crates integrated into the central staircase and various displays bring with them a note of tactility and warmth, replicas of classical sculptures and abstract paintings playfully underscore the notion of beauty products as artworks, while turquoise-painted metal racks punctuate the greyscale expanse with calibrated bursts of colour. The effect is both graphic and spatial, lending the space a scenographic dimension without disrupting an otherwise overall sense of clarity and restraint.

Ultimately, AIM Architecture’s design proposes a quiet but compelling shift in how retail can be experienced. By borrowing from the operational logic of art storage, it elevates the everyday act of shopping into something definitively more deliberate and reflective.

Symmetrical aisles of turquoise metal racks extend toward a perforated display wall, framing a central passage with precise, modular order. Polished concrete floors and recessed ceiling coffers enhance the industrial, minimalist atmosphere, while a passing figure introduces movement within the otherwise controlled, archive-like environment.

Photography © Seth Powers.

A dense field of turquoise-painted steel shelving forms a rhythmic grid, creating a tunnel-like perspective that recalls industrial storage systems. Repetition and alignment amplify spatial depth, while integrated strip lighting casts a cool glow. A blurred figure moves through the aisle, reinforcing the store’s dynamic, exploratory circulation.

Photography © Seth Powers.

A wall of floating metal shelves presents products with museological clarity against a perforated grey backdrop, while a central display table—mounted on pallet-like bases—echoes industrial handling equipment. A staff member interacts with the fixture, emphasising the space’s operational logic and hands-on, archive-inspired retail experience.

Photography © Seth Powers.

  • A close-up detail highlights the junction between brushed steel trays and solid timber framing, revealing the precision of joinery and material contrast. The warm grain of the wood offsets the cool, matte metal surfaces, encapsulating the project’s balance between industrial austerity and crafted refinement.

    Photography © Seth Powers.

  • A precise junction of brushed stainless steel and green-edged glass reveals the project’s refined detailing, where exposed fasteners and layered planes articulate a crisp, industrial aesthetic. The tight composition emphasises material clarity and construction logic, evoking both laboratory precision and display vitrines within a minimalist, archive-inspired retail language.

    Photography © Seth Powers.

  • A grid of recessed ceiling coffers emits a soft, diffused glow, their pyramidal geometry creating a subtle interplay of light and shadow. The cool-toned surface enhances the space’s restrained, futuristic atmosphere, while the repetition of luminous voids reinforces the project’s rigorous geometric order.

    Photography © Seth Powers.

  • A close-up of a wooden crate set within a steel display unit highlights the project’s material contrast, pairing warm timber with cool, industrial finishes. Elevated on pallet bases, the composition references logistics infrastructure, while the adjacent turquoise shelving hints at the larger grid system organising the retail environment.

    Photography © Seth Powers.

A close-up of a hand turning a large metal wheel on a mobile display unit highlights the tactile, mechanical character of the store’s fixtures. The exposed structure, wheels and adjustable mechanism evoke industrial equipment, transforming product retrieval into an interactive, almost performative gesture within the retail environment.

Photography © Seth Powers.

A long perforated metal wall hosts evenly spaced shelves displaying products with measured restraint, illuminated by a continuous linear light. In the foreground, mobile steel tables with crank mechanisms and pallet bases reference archival storage systems, reinforcing the space’s hybrid identity between warehouse logistics and museological display.

Photography © Seth Powers.

The cashier area is defined by a restrained, architectural composition of grey metal panels and integrated shelving, where illuminated signage punctuates the subdued palette. Wooden crates introduce warmth within the otherwise austere setting, subtly referencing storage typologies while reinforcing the project’s balance between utility and refinement.

Photography © Seth Powers.

A wider view reveals the store’s cohesive spatial system, where turquoise shelving fields recede into the background and glass display tables anchor the foreground. The grid of recessed ceiling lights enhances the sense of order, while blurred figures in motion underscore the interplay between static structure and fluid navigation.

Photography © Seth Powers.

AIM Architecture Reimagines a Cosmetics Store in Beijing as an Art Storage Facility