Warehouse 129

Material expression plays a starring role in our recent facelift for Warehouse, a charismatic boutique in Penang. Taking cues from the owner’s appreciation of handiwork, honest and tactile material such as bamboo and timber to craft a lived-in experience was the perfect inspiration. Rather than a complete overhaul, the facelift aims to enhance the store's premium yet artisanal vibes. Customised bamboo display systems line the walls, their subtle variations in color and knotting telling the origin story. To further reinforce the architectural integrity of the bamboo framework, we crafted ingeniously interlocking joints that help distribute the load-bearing workload communally across the entire construction in a sleek yet resilient manner — drawing insight we derived from aeronautical engineering. Together, materials spoke through aged marks and grains to invite contemplation of craft and culture, roots and relationship - a sensory setting to deepen one's experience of the goods on offer and appreciation for the hands that shaped them.