In China’s crowded retail landscape, sameness dominates — polished surfaces, predictable layouts, and little sense of place. StudioGlam’s Yuyuan Department Store · Tianyu Building project challenges that formula, bringing back character, culture, and emotion to contemporary retail.

Inspired by Shanghai’s Golden Era, the design reinterprets the city’s East-meets-West glamour through a modern, sculptural lens. The centerpiece — a sweeping staircase shaped after Shanghai’s favorite flower, the gardenia — anchors the space as both structure and symbol. Its fluid curves unfold under a stained-glass dome, evoking movement, grace, and transformation.

This is not a nostalgic set piece but a spatial experience. Visitors move through layers of material and memory — past mosaic floors, mirrored columns, and brass details that recall the rhythm of 1930s Shanghai. Each step feels choreographed, turning a shopping journey into an immersive encounter with time and culture.

Yuyuan redefines what retail can be: less transaction, more theatre. The project’s strength lies in contrast — tradition and modernity, East and West, nostalgia and innovation — all balanced with the precision of a tailored garment.