以人为本 | Common Reader 书店设计赢得 Frame Awards 评委赞赏

Joy, delight, identity. Where do they fit into the design process of successful interiors? Read takeaways shared in June's live judging session.

The latest monthly Frame Awards winner to be crowned was Hangzhou bookstore Common Reader by Atelier Tao+C. A reader's haven, the celebrated project is the ultimate symbol of the characteristics that define June's honourable mentions as well: understated, timeless, and ultimately, user-friendly. 'Many projects lack a sense of tactility and humanity,' juror Sandra Adrian Asplund, creative director at Asplund Collection, noted. 'I think we're drawn to the things that really connect us, with nature, with other people – with the things that we've missed for a couple of years.'

Respecting the user

Common Reader, for instance, connects people with others – and themselves. 'For a store to be really successful, it needs to sell people things that they didn't realize they needed when they went in, and for them to leave thinking “I'm happy I've got it”,' said juror James Dilley, director at Jestico + Whiles. 'That's what they're doing [at the bookstore]: letting people browse and giving them their own time, with a number of different places to stand quietly, read and think a purchase through. The capture of the human qualities of joy and delight is very difficult to pursue. The designers have achieved that.'

Mint-green details inspired by 20th-century libraries energize Common Reader's magnetic, wood-clad interior.

Michelsens' Compact Living Bergen is a 70-sq-m abode developed from an existing – yet demolished and reconstructed – building.

'We can't afford to waste resources anymore,' said Ricardo Seola, creative director at Ricardo Seola and photography professor at NABA Milano. '[In that sense], you really have to think about the design [of a space]. It looks like the solution that we've found is putting people at the centre. When we go out now, we go out because we're looking for experiences – not products.' The awarded projects this month succeeded, he said, because they're responsive to this shift. First honourable mention Compact Bergen Living, a Norwegian residence, exemplified this notion on the residential level. 'It blends with the person that lives there,' Seola explained of the Michelsens project. 'Sometimes, when we design, we put in more of our skills than we show the owner or the brand.'

Scope Micro-Architecture by Design for Human Nature is a scalable set of modules that accommodates a range of work-styles.

Facilitating adaptability

The third honourable mention was awarded not to a space, but a product series: Scope, a Design for Human Nature family of modular office furniture. The designs, Dilley said, 'capture where we're at post-pandemic – people want to have the choice of being solitary, in social groups with others, or in small groups.' 'I really liked the project because it makes it easier to adapt in creative ways,' Seola continued. 'It's something we've been struggling with for the last two years. Things are changing.'

Inspired by nature, The Eclipse adds a digital layer with artist collaborations.

Timelessness by design

Oman single-brand store The Eclipse by Héroïne, which was the final honourable mention, was recognized for its combination of craft and technology. 'A lot of choices that had to be made that could go wrong,' Seola pointed out, commending the 'wise choice of materials and finishings' – 'it really sells the product.' 'The simplicity is also something I admire,' said Virginia Lung, cofounder and design director of One Plus Partnership and Pulse On Partnership. 'The most important element is right in the middle, so you won't forget it.' Dilley said: 'There's layers and layers of interest, but it doesn't overpower the product.' Common Reader shares these qualities. 'Most places you go for book don't really attract you to stay,' said Asplund, commenting on the mix of classic and contemporary touches. 'The details make [the space] really timeless – I feel this could stay [in place] forever.

Ginza Ecological Map by Shiseido and Hakuten was a reflection on – and showcase of – the ecology of the city in a lockdown state.

Promoting provenance

Dilley posed the idea that provenance is increasingly important in design, for reasons of culture and sustainability. 'People want that story,' he said. 'They want that narrative – to know where things came from. You can see design now as being very much rooted in place and time. Fourth-place project Ginza Ecological Map, a past Shiseido window display in Tokyo, is indicative of this movement. The design – a collaboration with Hakuten – showcased the city's pandemic-era ecology. 'It's an understatement in a place where there's a lot of overstatements, and the contrast is brilliant,' remarked Dilley of the localized display.

'The design got people involved, [encouraging them] to think about the meaning that the designers wanted to bring out,' added Lung.  'Users want to understand how a project's been born within a specific context, rather than experiencing something that's universal and generic,' said Dilley. 'You can see that in a lot of the submissions that we've judged in the last few weeks.'