BIBU Pet Store by One Fine Day Studio & Partners

If it is true that our pets know how to steal our hearts, then creating a pet shop – or rather a real centre for the well-being of our 4-legged companions – as an aesthetically appealing place for human beings, could generate benefits for everyone involved. Because let's be honest: taking our dog or cat to the vet is often not a very pleasant experience, also because we are often talking about places without any care or attention to design.
The BIBU Pet Store in Guangzhou, conceived and created by the multidisciplinary team of the One Fine Day Studio & Partners, ofD design firm, demonstrates that beauty and functionality can indeed go hand in hand. The request is not by chance: China's pet industry is booming and –in particular during the pandemic – the emotional value of pets is receiving more and more recognition. This explains the growing demand for animal care centres, further driven by the fact that Millennials and Gen Z, who are leading these trends, tend to be more attentive to emotional aspects.
But let's take a closer look at this truly out of the ordinary place: BIBU is located inside a high-end condominium, the Gaode Mansion in Guangzhou's central area, not far from cultural venues such as the Guangdong Museum and the Guangzhou Opera House. For ofD's designers, it was not just a question of creating an innovative structure for the sector, but also of incorporating our considerations on current issues: the post-pandemic world, without forgetting the current theme of the colonisation of space. Hence the "Space Age" design motif, which drives the whole BIBU space, starting from the image of the ark.
The location extends over two floors for a total area of 600 square metres. The designers have carefully divided the venue into multiple zones: for the sale of pet food and pet supplies, boarding and care, training and bet clinic, all based on functional purposes and the unique spatial logic of each space.
As we mentioned at the very beginning, BIBU is a fully equipped pet service centre that also offers services to pet owners. ofD's designers thus conceived the cafe DOPPIO on the ground floor. DOPPIO is located next to the display area where guests can interact with pets and is open to anyone who wants to enjoy a coffee and play with their dogs or cats.
The idea is to link "Pet" with the notion of "Ark" to expand BIBU into a "P + ark", creatively transforming parts of its commercial area into a shared platform between users, for more interpersonal communication. All emphasised by a marked retrofuturism, with particular reference to Stanley Kubrick's cinematographic masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey" in terms of shapes and colours, from the finishes to the furnishings. Moreover, in terms of the details, ofD avoided sharp corners, instead opting for rounded lines and soft convex anti-collision surfaces. Choices which, of course, are also pet-friendly.
Through the BIBU project, ofD has thus imaginatively reinterpreted the world of pet care, too long forgotten by design. A fascinating combination of old and new, past and future to be able to live the moment to the fullest, dedicated to our affection for our pets, with style and joy.

Christiane Bürklein

Project: One Fine Day Studio & Partners, ofD
Location: Guangzhou, China
Year: 2021
Images: yuuuunstudio