Inspired by Nature, in Search of the Wild

Amid the noise of modern life, people long for nature, and outdoor furniture becomes a bond between nature and everyday living. Urbanisation keeps much of life indoors; outdoor furniture breaks through that limit and extends our living space, creating chances to get close to nature and enjoy the sunshine, whether in a private garden or in public open space.

The project covers 1,115 square metres indoors and 1,530 square metres outdoors. We set out to dissolve the very idea of inside and outside until the boundary disappears, bringing granite and ceramic sand, materials usually found outdoors, inside as the main materials of the space's visual and tactile system, in keeping with an aesthetic of natural tones.

Futurism Meets Raw Texture: A Dune Landscape Recreated

Step inside and the architecture follows the natural curves that wind and sand carve into dunes over time. Every bend and every joint breaks with the straight lines and right angles of conventional buildings. Free of the over-refined interior, it marries the untamed roughness of nature with a lithe, graceful language of curves.

The showroom is laid out like the dunes of a film, rising and falling into gullies and valleys, so visitors feel they are moving through the dunes themselves. Taking its cue from the contours of real dunes, a flowing curve links the spaces; it shapes the forms, and it also steers the eye and the route. The path avoids straight, level lines, adding change and unpredictability, so visitors keep turning as if finding their way across the sand, and the sense of exploration grows.

Ceramic Sand and Granite: A Subtle Interpretation of Natural Texture

We prefer to feel real materials rather than decoration, and we are drawn to what is genuine and raw. Seeking natural, harmonious tones, the design uses low-saturation beige ceramic sand and grey granite as its main materials. Like desert and rock settling over time, together they create a calm, elegant atmosphere. Polished, the rough grain of the ceramic sand turns fine and warm, its curves flowing like the outline of a dune, while the raw, wild granite lends the space a sense of weight.

Ceramic sand fired at high temperature: the main ingredient is ceramic sand fired at 1,000–2,000°C. The heat loosens the inside of each grain so it absorbs the binder better, laying the ground for a good coating.

Non-toxic: all raw materials and binders meet environmental standards and contain no harmful substances such as formaldehyde or benzene. They release no harmful gases in use, keeping living and working spaces healthy and safe.

Renewable: ceramic sand is made from clay and similar materials that are plentiful in nature, and it can also be produced from recycled ceramic fragments, reducing the need to mine new minerals. Over time this keeps supply stable and lessens dependence on non-renewable resources.

02 · Spaces

The indoor showroom was built to present the appeal and quality of HIGOLD's outdoor furniture at first hand. Inspired by nature, laid out along dune-like curves and finished in outdoor materials, it sets a tone where nature and the future meet. Zones follow the character of each product, and lighting recreates natural light and shadow, so visitors feel outdoors even indoors, experience the ease and comfort of the furniture, and see how HIGOLD imagines the ideal outdoor life.

Dendritic Structure

Wood is used throughout HIGOLD's furniture, its natural grain and warm colour blending with nature as if carrying the living rhythm of trees. Here, stout solid-wood branches hang from the ceiling and tree stumps line the walls. Specially treated dark timber, heavy in texture and deep in grain, conveys the steady solidity of the earth.

Tunnel Entrance: An Invitation to the Wild

In the tunnel, the granite walls are carved into soft, rounded curves. Under the light, shadows play across the grain and the curved surfaces, creating an ethereal, mysterious mood, as if visitors had been drawn into a burrow beneath the dunes.

Lighting is a key means of interpreting the film-inspired idea of the dunes. Dynamic light recreates the natural light of a day: a soft, dim orange-red at dawn, turning to bright, near-white light at noon, then the warm yellow glow of evening. The light can also turn soft and hazy, as if full of drifting sand, so visitors seem to pass through different kinds of desert weather and feel time flow and the mood of the space change.

Indoor Showroom: A Mirage in the Sand

Built along the natural curves of the dunes, combining raw natural textures with lively curves, the indoor showroom feels like a distinctive holiday resort. The products are shown from every angle in a relaxed, holiday atmosphere, and visitors come across each piece they like as if on an unhurried trip through the dunes.

Plenty of daylight gives the showroom a sense of movement. With a careful layout, the light also guides the route and brings out the natural texture of the dunes, so the products are shown in a way true to the experience outdoor furniture is meant to offer.

Glass Bricks: Veils of Light

Glass bricks have a modern, refined quality, and in a space built mostly from natural elements they balance nature with the contemporary. Their regular geometry and smooth surface contrast sharply with the random contours of the dunes, and that visual tension enriches the layers of the space and balances its style. In use, they soften the light, like an overcast day or a morning veiled in mist, creating a hazy, quiet atmosphere.

Outdoor Exhibit: Island of Pine Shadows

The landscape of the Interstellar Headquarters campus reads like a floating island. At its centre, several great pines spread their dark green branches, reflected in the water so their leaves appear again below. Outdoor furniture is set among them; sit down and look up, and there are pine branches and open sky.

Sustainability

Here, people can sense the strength and beauty of nature, the fine fusion of traditional materials and modern craft, and the appeal of futurist design. Even in an age of technology, nature remains a source of inspiration that can be brought into modern life. The space reminds us that the pursuit of modern living must not forget to respect and protect nature, and that a sustainable future depends on living in harmony with it. Visitors leave with more than a new view of outdoor furniture: they take with them deeper thoughts on the relationship between nature and the future, and a strong desire for a better life.

Client
HIGOLD

Location
Shunde District, Foshan, Guangdong, China

Area
1,115 m² indoor
1,530 m² outdoor

Completion Date
2024.10

Architecture
Pininfarina Architecture

Design Firm
E Studio

Lead Designer
Fan, Junjian
Zhou, Xuanzhuo

Design Team
Liu, Shuqi
Fang, Guiyun
Huang, Chenxi
Zhou, Jing

Photographer
WM Studio