Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Sep 06, 2025

Lukstudio Draws on Open-Air Market Aesthetics for a Modern Grocery in Changsha, China

Lukstudio Draws on Open-Air Market Aesthetics for a Modern Grocery in Changsha, China

A trip to the grocery store is hardly as enticing as one to an outdoor market, but design firm Lukstudio set out to challenge this notion.

In creating The Assembled Market in Changsha, China, for the region's new supermarket brand, Fresh Mart, the design team envisioned a contemporary gathering space that offers more than meticulously stacked shelves. "Growing up in Hong Kong, I have always loved the experience at Dai Pai Dong-a name we called these ad-hoc structures in wet market or a street corner where local dishes are served," says Christina Luk, founder and director of Lukstudio. "In fact, throughout Asia, outdoor street markets are often where you encounter authentic local delights and cultures, as opposed to most cookie-cutter supermarkets."

To invite a similar sense of discovery indoors, Luk and her team referenced the aesthetics of outdoor markets, creating a streamlined space that functions as a shopping destination. Located next to several high-end residential compounds in a newly developed area of the city, the expansive store also features a restaurant and café area, conceived as an open-air food stall, defined by bamboo tables, rattan chairs, and wooden lattices. Above the fresh fruits and vegetables hangs a series of metal mesh canopies. "We wanted to create the experience of walking down the aisles in a local Chinese outdoor market full of hanging tarpaulins," explains Luk. "So our take is a series of metal mesh canopies mimicking these temporary structures." Stacks of milk creates seen on the facade and in the dry goods section also serve as a nod to those used outdoors.

Given the popularity of ordering groceries online, Lukstudio set out to create a physical supermarket that enables customers to build a sense of community, away from their screens. "Our intent was to create a modern supermarket with a sense of Chinese traditions, but without the look of a stage set. To achieve the visual balance, we took an assembly approach," Luk shares, noting the project name. Each layer of the space, from the wooden frame that runs throughout to the palette of earthy hues, succeeds in transforming grocery shopping from a "must do" to a simple pleasure.



At the corner where the butchery turns into the fishmonger, apart from a lively wall graphic linking the sections, a material gradation along the counter intends to smooth the transition. Photography by Dirk Weiblen Photography.



The dining area is conceived as an open-air street food stall and lattice screens are used as a visually permeable barrier between dining and shopping, but also a unifying texture wrapping around counters and equipment. Photography by Dirk Weiblen Photography.



Bamboo tables, rattan chairs and flagstone pavers together compose a Chinese vernacular, recalling the memory of having humble yet authentic dishes at an outdoor local joint. Photography by Dirk Weiblen Photography.



At the bakery cabin, a grid extends from the gable roof structure and becomes the framework of an orderly bread display. Photography by Dirk Weiblen Photography.



By replacing corrugated panels into the purlin structure, the wooden frame gives form to a gable-roof cabin above the cafe, optimizing the original low-ceiling space with terraced seating. Photography by Dirk Weiblen Photography.



The street facade and the nearby dry goods section are marked by stacking milk crates, which convey a sense of order to the busy racks and double as a lighting feature at night. Photography by Dirk Weiblen Photography.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
×