A monochrome clothing boutique in China has been awarded the World Interior of the Year prize at Inside 2016.

Designed by Shanwei Weng and Jiadie Yuan, founders of AN Design, the Heike fashion concept store occupies a warehouse-like space in Hangzhou.

A black box at the centre of the shop marks the location of a staircase, which leads up through a "wedge-shaped" volume to connect the two floors of the 200-square-metre interior.

Because of this, the designers call the project Black Cant System.

Clothing is presented on geometric clothing rails. Other details include fan-shaped handrails, aluminium chandeliers, bespoke furniture elements and large mirrors.

Heike was selected ahead of eight other category winners announced on day one and day two of the festival, including a refurbished English theatre and a 1950s-style burger restaurant in Shanghai.

Judges described said the project "challenges conventional ideas about a retail fashion store".

"Store brand and architectural image work in harmony with a sensitivity to surface and details," they said.

Last year the World Interior of the Year prize was awarded to March Studio, which used over 5,000 lengths of reclaimed wood to create the interior of a Canberra hotel.

In an exclusive interview with Dezeen filmed at the award ceremony, Rodney Eggleston of March Studio said the aim was to "create an instant patina, something that already had character and age".

Dezeen is media partner for both the World Architecture Festival and Inside, which concluded today at the Arena Berlin, in Germany.

Photography is by Yujie Liu.