New York- and Seoul-based studio LMTLS Architecture has carved a steep canyon of wooden layers through the Soho flagship store for Korean skincare brand SKIN1004.

LMTLS Architecture's second flagship for SKIN1004 – after the first in the South Korean capital – occupies a two-storey building with a long, narrow layout typical of the New York City neighbourhood.

The 9,900-square-foot (920-square-metre) retail space is intended as an immersive environment that pushes beyond traditional retail and gives "tangible spatial form to the brand's enduring philosophy", according to LMTLS partner Beomki Lee.

"Its central ambition is to create a setting in which visitors can breathe in and genuinely connect with the brand’s ethos through a rich interplay of event spaces, exhibition zones, and experiential areas," he said.

Upon entry, a double-height space is wrapped with a huge, custom wood installation, forming "a sculptural abstraction of a natural valley that serves as the project's primary tectonic gesture and structural spine".

The two-inch-thick layers of ultralight MDF are stacked and wrapped with stained maple veneer banding, resembling striations in sandstone canyons that have slowly been eroded by the elements, and "evoking the monumental scale of a natural gorge".

Low undulations of these layers provide places to sit, while smaller platforms are used as shelves for presenting SKIN1004's products.

A brushed metal column branded with the SKIN1004 logo rises from the sculptural wooden mass to an amorphous light box on the ceiling.

A row of nine-foot-tall (2.7-metre) mirrored panels runs the full length of the store along the left-hand side, creating the illusion of more space along the narrow footprint.

At the point-of-sale area in the centre of the space, the ceiling height compresses, and the wood layers form a sinuous counter.

"This intentional modulation of scale creates a dynamic interplay of tension and intimacy, establishing the functional heart of the store for sample trials, purchases, and customer engagement," said Lee.

Towards the back, a mix of single- and double-height volumes form a chamber where customers can capture memories in a 12-foot-tall (3.7-metre) mirror and watch brand concept films on an LED wall display.

LMTLS aimed to manifest the brand's "untouched nature" narrative through architectural design and create a world in which customers can immediately connect to its ethos.

"It is a deliberate and ambitious attempt to create an experimental space closer to a museum — one where the brand's values can be experienced vividly, sensorially, and memorably," said Lee.

Soho is one of New York City's most popular retail destinations, and many international brands have flagship stores in the neighbourhood.

Other recent additions include menswear label Stòffa's store with a "calming backdrop", trainer brand Athletic Propulsion Labs' immersive marble-lined space, and fashion company Kith's women-dedicated space where olive trees grow from central podiums.

Lee's earlier work includes a proposed memorial to victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami, which he completed in 2015 as his MIT graduation project.

He also created a concept for modular housing using vacant airspace over existing New York buildings, designed with Chang Kyu Lee.

The photography is by Sean Davidson.

Project credits:

Design: LMTLS
Architect of record: Tricarico Architecture and Design
General contractor: Schimenti Construction
Millworker: Gilbert + Adirondack Studios