• Type: Commercial
• Date: 2023
• Principal Architect: Hooman Zandi
• Interior Designer: Mina Mehrad
• Photographer: Kourosh Dabaghi
• Graphic Designer: Fariba Akbarian-Kiana Taerian
• Client: Mr & Miss.Mohagheghian
• Location: Iran, Isfahan, Saadi Passage

The project is situated in the vicinity of Naghsh-e Jahan Square, serving as a treasure within the historic city of Isfahan. This beautiful square, now a focal point of Isfahan’s historical attractions, is the world’s largest square and one of Iran’s architectural masterpieces. Sepah Pedestrian Street, the sub-paths behind the Matbakh Passage, and Sadi Passage converge on the eastern side of this square. The location of Sadi Passage has created special cultural conditions, transforming it into a suitable space for boutique hotels and galleries of artistic works.

The client approached our office for the interior design of a shop located in Sadi Passage, near Naghsh-e Jahan Square. Nojan was a saffron brand that had positioned its business strategy on an international scale. The project site was a leased space, and due to the owner’s request, alteration and occupation of the facilities were not feasible. Additionally, the inability to demolish the walls and the high ceiling of the shop posed other project constraints.

In defining the Nojan brand, the client targeted two broad categories of Naghsh-e Jahan Square visitors. The first category comprises foreign tourists, especially Chinese travelers entering the shop to buy saffron, while the second category includes tourists passing through Sadi Passage, drawn by the symbolic nature of the store, sparking their curiosity to step inside. Beyond sales objectives, the gallery-like nature of space, must showcase saffron and encourage users to linger. Creating a distinctive atmosphere for photography, memory-making, and aiding in the reproduction of Nojan’s visual identity in the virtual space was one of the client’s goals.

The sales space, the reception at the entrance axis, and the dual-purpose storage space suitable for saffron in large quantities with small and diverse Nojan packaging were among the functional spaces required for this project. By adding a new function as a small café bar offering saffron-infused hot and cold beverages to visitors, we created an inviting space in the gallery, which was well-received by the client.

In the process of shaping a new space within the ancient structure, we used semi-circular and quarter-circular arches as a contemporary reinterpretation of five and seven arches, evoking the spatial sensation of users walking under the market vaults. Through the gaps in the shells, red light pendants, reminiscent of the red stigma of saffron, emerge as a distinctive and abstract element. Each arch-shaped shell gap, like a petal, encompasses the interior space of the gallery.