A purse hanger is a functional accessory for bags that frees up space on tables and seats. So when Chris Chen, director of Paradox Studio, designed the store for OPUS in Taipei’s fashion district, she wanted it to embody its sole product’s concept of aesthetics and saving space.

OPUS Taipei is the first retail store for the brand and occupies only 10.5 sqm, showing off the creative ingenuity of the new studio that was established by Chen in 2010.

“We are also a part of the design team to OPUS, thus we fully understand the nature of the product and how it needs to be presented,” says Chen.

Yellow paint blocks run along the two white walls of the store, creating the impression of a deeper, wider space. The lines converge into a horizontal line on the back wall where it features the store’s focal point – a custom-designed sun-shaped clock.

The ’sun rays’ of the clock are formed using OPUS classic Swarovski purse hangers and cleverly indicate the numbers on the clock face. The 4 different colours reflect the light changes of the day.

OPUS Taipei also has a clean footprint area to minimise the feeling of clutter. Displays are kept to the wall on up-and-down timber blocks of 4 different lengths to showcase the entire collection, and to allow customers to see and touch the products.

The two display walls each have their own theme. The right wall is the “Nature Wall” where the timber display stands create dramatic waves to invoke images of a natural landscape. It features the brand’s classic and seasonal collections.

The left wall is the “Urban Wall”, which features limited edition products on fewer timber stands deliberately arranged to resemble a city skyline. Six yellow bobbins above the display indicate the cities that make up the brand’s distribution network. High stools are positioned along this wall to resemble a bar area for meetings.

“Design is a way to listen, comprehend and try to grasp the essence of the project and present it,” says Chen.

“The same design approach is why our studio is named Paradox; we not only see design as the answer but also the reason.”

Paradox Studio
paradox-studio.com