"When I first visited Rex, my takeaway was that of the Kowloon Walled City. I wanted to keep this memory and translate it into design," Chang explains. On paper, the balcony spans 4,000 sq ft but Chang managed to increase it to 6,000 sq ft with the clever use of multiple levels.

The layered space was a deliberate nod at RexKL's context: "When you enter the space, the scale and proportion is related to the street. It's almost as if you're walking through the city, where you can cut through an alley and find something else. I also kept the ceiling very low so there are lots of secret corners. It's a space where you can get lost in."

Construction-wise, Chang admits the fit out was challenging especially because there were ongoing operations on the ground floor. This was assuaged by making most of the components modular. This made installation very quick, impeded only by the various lockdowns last year which dragged the construction period from three to six months.

While Chang is quick to emphasise that the intention was always to create something different, not just so it would be Instagrammable, but for the sheer experience, and as a result he has created something truly unique.

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Modern and minimalist candle brand, Lilin + Co gets its very own modern and minimalist showroom combining a retail space with a workshop for in-house production. Who better to create a home for this beloved local brand than POW Ideas, who has designed some of the city's sleekest yet characterful spaces. 

Clocking in approximately 2,300 sq ft with enviable four-metre high ceilings, the industrial lot on the second floor featured an open plan with full height windows on all three sides. The design brief was to create a versatile space that had room for in-house production while being flexible enough for collaborations and events. It also had to accommodate a workshop factory named the Ol-Factory with a large amount of storage in retail space.

Jun Ong, co-founder of POW Ideas, explains: “While the site had a spacious open plan with great light and views, it also had to be fitted out on a budget. To achieve this, we took the approach of hacking into ready-made items to suit our needs.”

Ready-made boltless storage shelves were thus converted into mobile shelves for storage and product displays by adding frosted acrylic tops and lights, while ready-made stainless steel counters were also modified into worktops with tube lights and a plywood top. Ready-made Ikea cabinets from the existing Lilin outlet also got a second life as a reception counter with the addition of acrylic shelves and lights. 

To add personality to the space, the designer duo incorporated touches inspired by Lilin + Co’s craftlike wax-inspired chandelier, which makes melted wax the focus of the space while the flame-inspired burnt wood display panel formed the backdrop of product displays.

A bonfire-inspired coffee table with a base arranged in the form of stacked firewood was included in the lounge and the orange acrylic accenting the space was inspired by the amber tone of candle oil.

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The increasing sophistication of the hijab and modest fashion market has created the need for boutiques with a suitably refined ambience. One of the most established brands in the market, Tudung People decided to upgrade the shopping experience at its KL East Mall store. To carry out this task, it looked to the experts of fresh and pleasing spaces, Studio Kanta, for the uplift.

Studio Kanta's co-founder Adrien Kent explains that the client got in touch with them with a simple brief: elevate their store. After the initial site visit, the decision was made for a complete interior rebranding. Kent states that the client liked what he had designed for the soothing Fern Batik store in Bangsar Village as a benchmark, but was open to new concepts. 

“A keyword in their brand message was modest elegance, so I tried to combine that with an approachable image,” says Kent. “Another key direction was to differentiate the store from the many others in the same mall.” 

To this end, Kent looked to Islamic architecture for inspiration, designing it with a contemporary twist which can be seen in the minimal lines of the arches seen throughout the store.

Graceful feminine lines were incorporated wherever appropriate, whether it was in the monolithic custom-made display table or the curved display alcoves. Soothing pastel colours evoke a gentle serenity abetted by the natural rattan furniture and display railings strategically placed throughout the store.

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A new home for a Petaling Street institution, the renovation of Fung Wong was an exercise in peeling back the stories of its venue in Jalan Sultan. The pastry store, which has been making traditional Chinese pastries for 113 years, is particularly known for its festive wedding delicacies which gave designer, Amy Liang of Studio CocoKacang, plenty of fodder for inspiration. 

The site itself, Wisma Kai Koong Kon, has a rich history as the home of the Hakka Association since 1885, although the ground floor had seen previous tenants which include a dim sum shop and then a craft and gifts store. “Instead of removing the existing stories on site, we decided to refresh the stories and allow the previous content to celebrate the new content,” explains Liang.

When removing the layers of renovation, the team found original mosaic floors, walls covered with old white kopitiam tiles and an interesting metal grating behind the roller shutter box. They also uncovered an external pink mosaic wall beneath layers of facade paint which revealed that the whole building was previously pink.

All these were kept, now adding character to the simple yet functional fit of the space which includes a long metal counter.

Its adjoining external alleyway was planted with tropical fruit trees, effectively 'greening' the space that's also covered with a transparent corrugated roof to welcome natural light. Unlike its previous store which was purely retail, Liang included some seating areas, both indoor and out, for customers to drink tea while enjoying Fung Wong’s legendary pastries.

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Set amongst the lush greenery of The Row, the Vitra mono-brand store is a joyful celebration of design. Haus Malaysia is the exclusive distributor of Vitra and moved here from their store on Jalan Maarof this year, drawn by the serene surroundings and ample natural light.

The spacious 2,500 sq ft space has a loft-like feel, and one cannot help but be inspired by the vibrant colours the Swiss brand is known for upon stepping in. Design-philes will recognise all the design classics, from furniture like the Panton chairs and Frank Gehry Wiggle chair to accessories like the wall clocks by George Nelson and Eames Elephants

The store is arranged in various sections, some in settings which make it easier to visualise how these pieces will look at home. Its clean white envelope against exposed brick walls and natural light provides an ideal backdrop to better appreciate the beautiful lines of the pieces.

You'll also find pieces from the heritage Finnish design brand Artek, which was acquired by Vitra about seven years ago. Adding more choices in lighting, Danish brand Louis Poulsen was added recently to the mix.

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If you haven't already, head to Pavilion Bukit Jalil to check out the first Tsutaya Books in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

The single-storey bookstore covers 31,000 sq feet, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined with over 240,000 books, stationery and goods to appeal to all lifestyle interests, from movies to design, gardening to cooking, politics to business, and everything in between.

Tsutaya also boasts the largest children’s edutainment selection in any bookstore in the country, carrying over 20,000 children’s books in English, Simplified Chinese, Bahasa Melayu and Japanese. Anchoring this section is the verdant glow of the treehouse-inspired Learning Room, where children can sit and have their parents read books to them or play with toys.

The bookstore’s café, modelled after the ‘share lounge’ in Japan, allows guests can pull up a chair to do work while sipping on freshly brewed coffee and the cafe's signature Japanese desserts.

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Homegrown Bonia is displayed in a different light at its KLCC flagship store launched earlier this year. Located on the ground level, London-based interior architect Oskar Kohnen designed the 2,211 sq ft store.

Showcasing the products like a museum or gallery, Kohnen created a white box that contains elements of architecture that play with the visitor’s imagination. This is underlined by the glowing ceiling, while the white walls unfold their straight geometry in a curve towards the facade. 

Dominated by the grid ceiling, the actual store layout is kept deliberately asymmetrical. At the centre of the store is a large mint green sculptural curved staircase element that leads towards a circular wood screen wall, emulating Bonia's journey from humble beginnings to an evergreen heritage brand.

Materials and interior finishings were created in collaboration with local craftsmen, including grey terrazzo flooring, black and green marble, and a Barrisol ceiling. The terracotta facade was also part of this collaboration and was made from handmade glazed ceramic screen blocks referencing southeast Asian Modernist architecture. 

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Tucked in the back corner of Bangsar Shopping Centre is an oasis of calm that is Momaku x Baristart Coffee. Momaku is an artisanal marketplace, while Baristart Coffee is Malaysia's first iteration of the popular Hokkaido-based café,

Approximately 3,531 sq ft, the space combines indoor and outdoor space with a kitchen in the middle. Elegant yet welcoming, the space is fitted out in an array of neutral colours with striking features, such as the super sleek coffee counter, the textured columns and the old vintage railway sleepers made into display shelves.

Towards the Baristart Coffee side, enjoy a semi-outdoor space where louvred windows frame views of the outside. Moving seamlessly into Momaku’s retail space, the grand living sits an island counter for display with showcase shelving. In the gallery, artworks from the AFK Collection will be changed every quarter, setting a fresh tone to the space.

Momaku's ethos is to buy better, buy smarter. As such, you can expect brands from Denmark, New York, Vietnam, France, Japan and Indonesia, to name a few.  From handmade crystal products from Reflections Copenhagen to sustainable home décor from Lübech Living from Denmark, every item here is thoughtfully curated.

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The Zhongshan building continues to delight with spaces like the new-ish Ana Tomy store. The homegrown stationary brand had outgrown its corner unit and moved next door to a larger area which was transformed into a warm, welcoming space that utilises the existing envelope effectively.

Designed by Amy Liang of CocoKacang, she included as much storage as possible in an aesthetically pleasing manner. As such, there are exposed storage areas and hidden storage areas in different corners, so the clients can organise their storage areas according to their different products’ locations, materials and tools. 

For convenience, some deeper storage areas were designed with double-sided doors to ensure that they would be utilised as Liang believes that if one can't reach things which are too far behind, chances are they won't be used. Indeed, instead of a conventional storeroom, the whole retail space functions as a storeroom.

To ensure greater utility, Liang also designed modular units that can function in a variety of ways, What looks like an ordinary grey crate can be converted into storage, a horizontal or vertical display, low or high cabinets and even a counter. On top of that, they can be dismantled and shifted easily at will.

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