Designed by Shanghai studio CATS, Shiwu Store sells crafts handmade by Japanese craftsmen in Nanjing, China.

Shiwu store welcomes the visitors to come inside, but examines their curiosities through a carefully crafted wooden door.

Maximising the flexibility of rearrangement, the studio tested the insertion of expanded mesh, onto which the objects or shelves could be fixed freely.

The practice dipped and dried 20 sheets of metal mesh with an ancient Chinese formula of paper pulp, which is very fibre-rich and adhesive. The appearance of these pulp webs is constantly oscillating, due to the unevenness of pulp attachment. Depending on where the viewer is standing, these webs will look rigid or soft, blurred or transparent, closed or open.

This project has been longlisted in the small retail interior category of Dezeen Awards 2020.

Designer: CATS
Project: Shiwu Store