Traditions Upheld: Aesop Hollywood Road

Partnership

1 Jan

Preview

Bamboo scaffolding, neon lights, tiled facades and Hollywood Road — each of these is synonymous with Hong Kong, and they all come together to stunning effect in Aesop’s new Hollywood Road store

Aesop’s new Hollywood Road store takes over the iconic corner location in Central where Tom Dixon’s Asia flagship stood since 2017. The building’s black facade has been faithfully maintained, with only a subtle line of white text added: One eye sees, the other feels — Paul Klee.

The store was designed by Aesop’s in-house team as an homage to the elements that are uniquely Hong Kong. Inside, the white tiles are a bold yet familiar feature, a nod to the city’s tiling tradition and humid climate. A striking contrast plays out between the geometric tiling and the curved details, the most exaggerated being the scooped line at the back of the space — an unmistakeable reference to the curved form of The Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Throughout the store, the slim tiles, generous curves and abundance of greenery evoke Hong Kong’s urban parks, with their tiled seating areas and swathes of tropical plants.

Against this background stand intricate shelves made from brass rods and held together by visible brass pins. Anyone who’s walked the streets of Hong Kong will recognise the reference to the bamboo scaffolding that soars up against the buildings, held together with little more than expertly tied knots.

Softening the scene is the oversized bamboo-fibre lamp shade hanging over the communal sink, which diffuses the light panel overhead for a sunlit glow. Dotted on the walls are neon and bamboo sconces, a subtle reference to the neon lights of 1980s Hong Kong, the production of which is a fast-disappearing craft.

The bamboo is repeated again in the more private spaces, including the facial treatment room, located just steps away from the store in an intimate space next door. In the treatment room, the bamboo ceiling diffuses the light, the gentle illumination and warmer tones a signal for guests to slow down and quiet the mind before a treatment.

With its new home on the city’s second-oldest street, Aesop Hollywood Road is a sensitive, evocative homage to the storied character of Hong Kong.