NICE is situated in the heart of Jieyang City, renowned as the “Jade Capital of Asia”. This comprehensive professional salon spans over 1,200 square meters and is conveniently located next to the Rongjiang River and Municipal Square, right in the core commercial district of Jieyang. The standalone building is a rare gem, tucked away in a quiet corner amid the bustling city. The name “NICE” translates to “beautiful” and “pleasant” in Chinese. The client aims to create a high-quality salon space filled with endless possibilities, showcasing their ultimate craftsmanship and international beauty standards, while enriching the city with more beauty.
GGD embraces exploration, adventure, and experimentation. Approaching the design as a keen industry observer, they aim to fuse local materials and construction techniques with modern architectural forms. This approach challenges contemporary perceptions of salon spaces, delivering an unprecedented “experience iteration”. The concept centers on a pure and minimalist space as the foundation, embedding elements of the “unknown” to pay homage to this wave of beauty industry innovation.
The primary materials, coffee-colored aluminum panels and stone paint, lend a subtle texture to the solid mass of the building. A deliberately recessed section serves as the main entrance, creating a modern sense of order that sharply contrasts with the neighboring older buildings. The design balances lightness and heaviness—low-key yet substantial—projecting humility and confidence amid the city’s vibrancy.
The color palette of GGD draws inspiration from “Star Wars”. Silver-gray anodized aluminum panels are paired with black and white accents evoking warriors, enhanced with touches of “Illusionary Color” and “Lightsaber”. This interstellar-inspired color scheme is expressed in a remarkable form, merging structure and design to transcend traditional spatial boundaries.
The natural characteristics of the materials—space aluminum and light—intersect vertically and horizontally, forming an enveloping spatial energy module. This design provides a fresh visual experience, immersing visitors in a futuristic atmosphere and heightening anticipation.
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (1934-03-09 – 1968-03-27) was a Soviet cosmonaut, hero, and Red Army colonel pilot, famously known as the first human to journey into space and the first to see the entire Earth from orbit. Since then, humanity’s quest for exploration has never ceased.
The display racks resemble shuttles, featuring an unconventional design with disordered metal tube supports. Trays crafted from solid hand-polished stainless steel pieces are embedded within these tubes. The nearly weightless and lightweight display panels arrange in a staggered rhythm, enhanced by lighting that creates mysterious patterns of light and shadow. This design draws deliberate attention to the products in an elegant and unintentional way.
The “Infinite Mirror” concept redefines mirror displays through construction, emphasizing the subtle connection between people and their reflections via interlocking visual effects. Designer Lin Yan integrated an orderly array of five monumental wheels into the space. This structural feature forces the surrounding areas to recombine into diverse negative spaces with varying forms, exceeding structural expectations and providing visitors with rich spatial experiences that highlight brand uniqueness.
Excessive layering or overly meticulous material demands are meaningless. The materials should convey emotional context. The shared vision between GGD and NICE is to create a space that embodies perceived superiority, forging a deep emotional connection between the brand and young consumers.
The numbers three and six symbolize infinity. The design creates a dynamic interplay of isolation and interweaving between people, people and space, and between spaces themselves. By blending reality and virtuality, the design crafts meaningful spatial gaps that form emotionally profound and memorable environments.
Professional hair salons are experiencing a steady increase in visitor density and time spent. By 2019, authoritative industry data shows that new female consumers visit salons for professional services over 90 times annually, while male consumers typically visit every two weeks to maintain their style. This represents high-frequency market behavior. NICE reduces floor area ratio to enhance the salon experience for users, providing hairstylists with a more independent creative environment. This approach dissolves segmentation and strengthens the coexistence of individuals within the collective.
Interpersonal communication often involves conflicting spatial and emotional distances, especially among strangers. Services like hair dyeing and ironing can last over three hours, making sustained eye contact a psychological challenge for customers. GGD Design Well employs the ancient metaphor of “meandering water and flowing cup” within a limited space, encouraging intimate interactions among familiar clients while creating a comfortable environment for strangers. NICE thus becomes not only a lifestyle but also a new social space.
Lost in a spatial ruin, the space aluminum SPA bed was exclusively developed for this project. Guest numbers in each treatment room are strictly controlled. Sensory access management effectively reduces sound and odor, while the axisymmetric architectural style paired with pure color tones maintains spatial balance and unity. Notably, this SPA bed is patented exclusively for NICE during the patent period.
Since the odors from dyeing and scalding are heavier than air and tend to settle about one meter above the floor, Shaogang Engineering developed a proprietary air circulation system. Combining atmospheric flow theory, they optimized the air outlet dimensions and cleverly concealed the system, effectively purifying the air while maintaining aesthetics.
Bathed in soft, warm sunlight, NICE expresses its aspirations and enthusiasm uniquely. It evolves and iterates, reflecting aesthetic concepts and refined skills aligned with international standards, alongside a persistent spirit of exploration.
△ Design concept deduction
△ Plan view
Studio Award Achievements:
| Gold Award | 2019 | Italy A’DESIGN AWARD Interior Design Category
Gold Award 2015 China Interior Design Alliance Best Resort Hotel Room Design
| Gold Award | 2019 | Jimei International Design Award Outstanding Interior Designer Works Evaluation
Silver Award 2018 Developing Countries Architectural Design Exhibition; International Youth Design Competition
Silver Award 2018 Deli Space Color Awards; Color Fashion Performance Award
| Wing Award | 2018 | China Interior Decoration Association and Shenzhen Display Art Association Joint Evaluation
| Conferred | 2019 | 40Under40 China Design Outstanding Youth
| Conferred | 2018 | 5A Shantou Decoration Industry Association Personal Achievement Award
| Awarded | 2019 | Mango Award China Humanistic Design Competition Winners
Nomination | 2016 | Top 25 National Creative Space Design Competition of Greenland Group
Nomination | 2019 | Nippon Paint “Future Star” Young Designer Competition Top 100 in China
Nomination | 2015 | Guangdong East First Art Space Design Competition Excellence Award
Project Information
Project Name: Naisi Meiye
Designer: Design Well
Contact Email: __AI_S_SC0__
WeChat: 651502334
Project Design & Completion Year: March 2020 (Design Initiated), July 2020 (Completed)
Principal Creators and Design Team: Lin Yan & Dan Yi
Special Advisor: Zhou Qing
Project Location: Xinrong Commercial Building, Linjiang North Road, Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, China
Building Area: 1200 m²
Photography Copyright: Yi Wen (Photography) & Lin Hui (Post-production)
Partners: Soft Decoration by Good Selection; Project by Shaogang Engineering
Main Materials: Marble, sand-surfaced metal, latex paint (Hailong), coated wood veneer (Fanpin), RC waterproof micro spray adhesive, linear lamps (Kongsibei), iridescent glass
Author: Lin Yan
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