Challenge
Tangning is a bookstore brand known for blending books, fragrance, and music into a holistic lifestyle experience. For the first time, they partnered with Poli Group to translate this experience into a workplace context — commissioning a bookstore in the atrium of Poli's Changsha HQ. The goal was not just to sell products, but to prototype a new model of retail-as-service: embedding brand culture into daily office life and expanding Tangning’s reach into non-traditional contexts.
Approach
Partnering with Verdure Architecture (led by Dehua, the project’s technical designer), I led the concept design on behalf of Rán Design, working closely with our interior designer Bingmiao. Based on a workplace survey across Poli’s departments, I reimagined the store not as a standalone venue, but as a spatial layer within the office — a place to work with music, a place to read after lunch, and a place to experience scent to recharge — weaving the brand into daily rhythms.
In collaboration with Tangning brand team, I introduced the bamboo garden, drawing from Changsha’s local lifestyle, as a spatial metaphor to convey calm, rhythm, and sensorial richness — aligning with Tangning’s lifestyle ethos while softening the architectural language of the workplace. This design gesture grounded the experience and offered employees a moment of pause within their daily flow.
Outcome
The store was quickly embraced by employees and became a meaningful part of their daily routine. Its success led Poli to explore Tangning’s presence in their sales centers as a tool for emotional connection and visitor engagement. Tangning recommissioned us for future projects, validating the spatial concept as a scalable format for brand extension.
Credits
Client: Tangning Bookstore
Design Studios:
Rán Design & Verdure Architecture
Concept Design: Jincheng Zhangliu
Interior Design & Project Coordination:
Jincheng Zhangliu, Dehua Wu, Bingmiao Zheng
Technical Design: Dehua Wu
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Tangning Brand Team
Photographer: Futong Liu