Amid the bright bustle of Taipei’s largest shopping complex, there is a hushed haven dedicated to curiosity, quiet talk, and care of the skin and senses. It is Aesop Far Eastern Mega City, a softly glowing space that offers visitors a gentle reprieve from the more high-spirited engagements of the mall. With muted tones and textures that recall the customary furnishings of a Traditional Chinese Medicine shop, this Aesop store is an homage to ancient health practices, located in the heart of a modern metropolis.
On entry, the mall’s glossy tiles give way to the store’s cork flooring—perhaps the first felt (if not consciously perceived) assurance that this space is founded, literally and figuratively, on physical ease. The warm timber bays that line the right-hand wall evoke the subdued practicality of traditional therapeuticestablishments, where learned purveyors of medicinal remedies have displayed their wares in clear, calm order for centuries. The drawers at the bottom of this unit are finished with a distinctive rectangular handle design—another subtle reference to a common feature of the establishments that provided the inspiration for this store.
