MuseLAB looks to the lime-green hues and textures of sorbet
Engulfed in a monochromatic playground of color and geometry, MuseLAB’s new showroom diverges from conventional retail layouts to reimagine the experience of bathware discovery lounges. The flagship store for Aquant in South Mumbai, India, aptly named Sorbet, revels in the textures of the delicacy alongside the intrigue of the unexpected with monolithic volumes and layers wrapped in ‘the zest of lime and the tartness of berries’. These velvety yet granular hues of green unfold across all surfaces, appearing as paint, terrazzo, and mosaic elements, accented with berry red.
The design intervention preserves the original 12-foot-high walls and deep volume of what was once a formed rug atelier, using its existing framework as a canvas for an exuberant new design language for the client. It reveals its glimpses to the streetscape through a layered facade of glass — fluted, clear, and trellised — set within a lime-green cuboid. The arched entrance sits beneath this transparent veil, while planters spill plum-hued foliage from a shaded porch, and a Kota stone floor in a random rubble pattern leads visitors inward.
all images by Nayan Soni
sculptural display systems unfold at the mumbai flagship store
Inside, MuseLAB conceives the circulation as a rhythmic sequence of movement. The space, a showroom for Indian brand Aquant, moves beyond static shelving as it follows a network of overlapping circular enclosures that host various product typologies. Framed by bold hues, each of these product display systems – curved and tiered – echoes the spatial geometry and offers layered glimpses of the entire store from any vantage point.
Amplifying this rhythm and intuitive spatial experience, the Mumbai-based design studio playfully punctuates the layout with cloche-style pedestals, extended curved units, and circular platforms. The flooring shifts between jagged and curvilinear Kota stone compositions, embedded in ivory grout, while suspended halo lighting hovers above, illuminating the berry red I-section stanchions and HVAC systems that are left intentionally exposed.
MuseLAB completes Sorbet showroom
the flagship store for Aquant in South Mumbai, India
the architects wrap all surfaces in the zest of lime and the tartness of berries
the velvety yet granular green hues appear as paint, terrazzo, and mosaic elements
the intervention preserves the 12-foot-high walls and deep volume of what was once a formed rug atelier
inside, MuseLAB conceives the circulation as a rhythmic sequence of movement
a network of overlapping circular enclosures host various product typologies
the flooring shifts between jagged and curvilinear Kota stone compositions, embedded in ivory grout
punctuated with cloche-style pedestals, extended curved units, and circular platforms
the intuitive spatial experience is amplified by rhythmic interventions
suspended halo lighting hovers above, illuminating the exposed red I-section stanchions and HVAC systems
project info:
name: Sorbet
architect: MuseLAB | @muse.lab
location: Mumbai, India
principal designers: Jasem Pirani, Huzefa Rangwala
design team: Bhavin Mandot, Fahim Khambati, Trupti Desai, Simran Khaitan
photographer: Nayan Soni
