The name Holiland usually conjures up a destination full of biblical bliss, but in China, it’s where sweet thooths converge for a far more secular kind of rush. With over 800 branches nationwide, Holiland is by far the country’s largest patisserie chain. The official founding story is a sugar-coated one (pun intended), and dwells on the fact that the million-dollar company was founded in 1992 by budding entrepreneur Luo Hong because he wasn’t able to find a beautiful cake for his mother’s anniversary. As of late, Hong has upgraded Holiland‘s retail presence, launching a new generation of design-led stores, and Holiland Market in Wuhan is exemplary. Situated at Wuhan Tiandi, an open-air shopping centre affiliated to the larger and better known Xintiandi shopping centre in Shanghai, the store measures 116 sqm. (1,249 sq.ft.) and also comes with a slightly larger outdoor space. Designed by StudioLite, a design practice based in Shanghai, the Holiland Market lives up to its name, featuring a design based on three basic geometric shapes—a circle, a square and a triangle.
These forms also aim to convey different emotional cues and visual impressions: communication, tradition and trend, and in fact reflect what a ‘market’ is all about. The outdoor area is dotted with market stalls in various shapes and materials, and indoors, it’s hardly any different. Unified by a lit grid ceiling, the different booths signal the shopping crowds’ various tastes and preferences. The square seat module made of stainless steel paint is a non-fixed place prop, and it’s able to anticipate the number of customers, dining regulations and also seat density. The cake exhibition area near the entrance is captured by a custom sinuous display stand. The arch is derived from the basic ‘circle’ form, while as a focal point, three arc-shaped elements crafted from different materials vertically intertwine, creating an optical dynamic. The interior walls are made of terrazzo, texture paint and other materials., and the use of bright colours injects the space with youthful energy. The new Holiland Market stocks the brand’s full range of cakes, pastries, cookies and candy.
Holiland Market
Wuhan Tiandi, 68 Lugouqiao Lu, Building 10 (Jing’an)
430015 Wuhan
Telephone: +86 27 82428388
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
