Common area interior with an open staircase, marble-and-granite floors and display cases on the left, textured concrete and wood panelling, soft ceiling light

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Interiors centre · ASTROOM

Design project for an interiors centre, 22,500 m²

Common areas · 22500 m² · Completed

About the project

ASTROOM is a furniture and interiors centre of 22,500 m², designed as an open display space without internal partitions. The concept for the common areas rests on a dialogue between natural stone and textured concrete, and the architectural rhythms of the façade carry through into the pattern of the granite floors and wall panels.

Client request

The client asked us to design the common areas of ASTROOM, a large furniture and interiors centre of 22,500 m². The space had to be a neutral but distinguished setting in which the tenants' products look their best. The key requirements were unobstructed access to the displays, intuitive wayfinding between floors, and continuity between the interior and the architecture of the façade.

Challenge

The scale of the building meant solving wayfinding without a heavy signage system: a visitor should find their way through a multi-storey retail space intuitively, through the interior itself. A further difficulty was reconciling the neutral background of the common areas with the varied showrooms of the tenants.

Concept

The interior of ASTROOM is treated as an exhibition space: open layouts without partitions give free access to the displays and make the retail environment welcoming. Granite floors in two finishes, polished and honed, set the pattern of movement and mark out zones; waste-free cutting of the slabs allows smooth gradations from one finish to the other. The architectural rhythms of the façade continue inside through combinations of granite modules of 600×600, 600×300 and 600×150; walls of textured concrete with the natural marks of the formwork contrast wryly with polished stone. Colour accents on the black ceilings do the work of signage: the colour of each floor matches its colour code on the information boards.

Result

ASTROOM works as an exhibition space given over entirely to showing product. The open plan without partitions gives free access and a welcoming retail environment, while the dominant black-graphite palette, granite modules and raw concrete with formwork marks show the tenants' ranges to advantage. Coloured ceilings echo the floor colour coding and tie the interiors to the façades, and the mix of ambient and directional light keeps the space contemporary and working for sales.

Trust metrics

22,500 m²

Floor area

10 months

Design period

Floor plan

Exhibition centre common area layout: a linear section showing the hall, staircases, openings, brick texture and a module grid, with light coming from above

Lift lobby

The lift lobby follows the overall graphite palette: black polished granite flooring and timber slat panels set up a rhythm that echoes the building's façades. Acid-green wayfinding panels and coloured ceiling lighting identify each floor and help visitors find their way. Panoramic glazing at one end lets in daylight and offsets the raw character of the finishes.

Panels

Wall panels echo the building's architectural concept and the granite flooring.

Combinations of granite modules of 600×600, 600×300 and 600×150 carry the building's external architectural rhythms into the interior. The base colour is black, with touches of colour: the chromatic ceiling elements match the colour coding of the floors on the information boards and make the centre easy to navigate.

The walls are a treated concrete surface. The natural marks of the formwork give them a raw texture that contrasts wryly with the polished planes of natural stone. The concrete has been dust-proofed and strengthened with a C2 impregnation.

Colour accents on otherwise black ceilings create an expressive decorative effect and break up the dominant palette. This approach also unifies the colour language of the building's façades with its interiors.

Interior design centre corridor: rhythmic wall panels, a modular granite floor below, black-and-colour lighting and textured concrete

Common-area corridor with wall panels, a granite tiled floor and columns, coloured strip lighting on the ceiling

Interior design centre corridor: a modular wall panel with coloured inserts, a black granite floor around it and high-contrast lighting

Common-area corridor in a shopping centre: a view of the staircase opening, black granite floor tiles and concrete panels, a bright green backlit ceiling

Common-area corridor with a view of the arched opening, textured concrete walls, a black granite floor and backlit green panels

Light-toned common area of a shopping centre, a view of the staircases, a granite tiled floor and rhythmic wall panels, ceiling backlighting

Glass staircase

The glass staircase is the central feature of the visitor’s route: in a volume this large, glass keeps the structure light instead of blocking the hall. The lighting works with it: linear profile fittings give the general light, while directional fittings pick out products and particular areas of the retail space, and together they hold the light level the space needs and keep the centre looking contemporary.

A view of the glass staircase in the common area: backlit treads, textured concrete walls, linear ceiling light fixtures, a grey granite floor

Glass staircase in the centre's interior: black treads, wood balustrades, a ceiling with linear light fixtures and soft accent lighting

Narrow glass staircase area in the centre's interior, a view of the textured concrete walls and a granite-finished bathroom with directional spotlighting

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions about the project

What is ASTROOM, and why does its design differ from the common areas of a residential building?

ASTROOM is a 22,500 m² furniture and interiors centre: a public space for showing furniture and materials, not residential common areas. The format is closer to a retail and exhibition complex, with lift lobbies, long panel systems and a glass staircase as the main navigational feature.

How is wayfinding designed in an interiors centre of this scale?

In 22,500 m² it is easy to lose your bearings, so the lift lobby and the glass staircase became the anchor points; both can be read from either end of the building. Panels along the routes hold a single contemporary style and at the same time break the space into landmarks.

Why was a glass staircase chosen instead of a conventional one?

Glass keeps the staircase light in a large volume; a solid structure of that height would press down on the space. The staircase is also more than a functional element here: it is the central feature of the visitor's route through the centre.

What materials were selected for finishes given the heavy traffic?

The panels and floor finishes in the lift lobbies are designed for a constant flow of people: tours, business visits, display installations. This is not residential traffic with the occasional guest but a daily load, so the materials were chosen with an industrial margin of durability.

Does designing public interiors at this scale cost more than designing residential common areas?

The budget is always calculated individually after the brief; it depends on floor area, the number of zones and engineering complexity (staircases, wayfinding, lighting). On a 22,500 m² building it is reasonable to expect a longer programme and a larger set of drawings than for the common areas of a single residential building.

Does ARTEVRIKA work on public spaces beyond residential developments?

Yes. ASTROOM is an example of a public and commercial project where the task is wider than lobby design. It brings together wayfinding, zoning for an exhibition function and a coherent architectural image across tens of thousands of square metres.