vacanza Wan Nian Building Storefront Signage | Titanium-Plated Stainless Steel Channel Letters
Selected Works
The character of an old building deserves to be kept
CHYIHAUR designed and built the storefront of jewellery brand vacanza at the Wan Nian Building in Ximending, combining titanium-plated stainless steel channel letters with aluminium composite panels recoloured by adhesive film. The facade was renewed while preserving the retro character of the original building, completed in 18 days with a full one-year warranty.
Year
2022
Client
Vacanza Accessory Trading Co.
Collaborator
C+P Interior Design Studio
Project Design & Execution
CHYIHAUR Team
The Wan Nian Building has stood on that Ximending corner since 1973. For vacanza to move in, the storefront could not simply look good on its own — a template sign would have broken the retro facade. CHYIHAUR’s task was to make the new frontage look as if it had always been there, choosing materials, colours and lighting from the qualities the building already had.
A holiday you meet by chance, on the Wan Nian corner
01
Background and challenges
vacanza is a Taiwan-born jewellery brand, and this store sits inside the Wan Nian Building — a Ximending landmark that has occupied its street corner since 1973. A tenant fit-out here cannot stop at its own shopfront; the whole facade has to be considered. A template sign would have cut straight through the retro character of the building. On site, the hardest part was recolouring the large interlocking panels with adhesive film: the slightest lapse in touch leaves bubbles or misalignment.
Wan Nian corner frontage
The street corner of the Wan Nian Building, where the ground-floor vacanza store redefines its entrance with a cream arched frame and the brand wordmark. The recoloured aluminium composite facade sits alongside the retained vertical retro sign above, with no break between old and new — the brand is recognisable from across the crossing.
02
Design goals and strategy
Our goal was simple: make the new frontage look as if it had always been there. Materials were chosen from the building’s existing texture rather than from a template. The lettering uses stainless steel formed and then titanium-plated into channel letters, with front-lit illumination so the faces stay legible in the shade of the arcade. The facade uses aluminium composite panels recoloured with adhesive film, with flatness controlled throughout so the base reads like a freshly sprayed finish. Indoors, walnut, antique bronze film and a vintage glass block wall carry the same material language through.
Interior brand light box
A long light box carries the vacanza co wordmark and the year 1973 on a warm amber ground, with blue light passing through the vintage glass block wall below and the jewellery displays evenly lit along the same line.
- 01Outdoor signage designStorefront exterior and overall visual planning for the jewellery store.
- 02Channel letter fabricationStainless steel formed and titanium-plated, front-lit channel letters.
- 03Facade film recolouringAluminium composite panels recoloured with adhesive film, flatness controlled.
- 04Indoor advertising planningLighting layout and on-site installation for the interior display wall.
World map feature wall
The lounge area uses a world map backdrop to echo the brand’s reach from Taiwan outward, lit evenly by brass picture lights.
- 01Main materialsStainless steel, walnut, antique bronze film, vintage glass block and aluminium composite.
- 02Lighting layoutFront-lit, keeping the letter faces legible in the arcade shade.
- 03Letter techniqueStainless steel formed then titanium-plated for excellent weather resistance.
- 04Schedule and warranty18-day construction period; full one-year warranty provided.
03
Project outcome
The finished storefront holds its legibility under the arcade, and the recoloured aluminium composite panels meet the preserved retro facade without a visible seam. Inside, the light box, the glass block wall and the world map feature wall continue one material language, so this 1973 street corner keeps its memory while carrying the brand as it is today.
Learn More
FAQ
This is a storefront exterior project delivered by CHYIHAUR for Vacanza Accessory at the Wan Nian Building in Ximending, Taipei. The scope covered outdoor signage design, titanium-plated stainless steel channel letters, facade recolouring with adhesive film on aluminium composite panels, and lighting planning for the interior display wall, completed in 18 days.
Stainless steel that is formed and then titanium-plated shows a more restrained, refined metallic lustre than ordinary spray paint, matching the material language of jewellery. The titanium-plated surface has excellent weather resistance, and with front lighting it keeps its legibility over the long term even in a semi-outdoor arcade.
The point is not to build a new frontage but to consider the whole facade. Even as a tenant fit-out, the retro character of the building has to survive intact. In practice that means selecting materials from what the building already is, rather than applying a single template that would interrupt the facade.
The hardest part is the flatness of the film across large interlocking panels, which is entirely a matter of the installer’s touch. There can be no bubbles and no misalignment, or the base will not read like a freshly sprayed finish and the joints will show from a distance.
For a storefront project of this scope — large-area base recolouring plus titanium-plated stainless steel letters — the construction period is about 18 days. A full one-year warranty is provided after completion. If you are planning a storefront, contact CHYIHAUR through the Contact page on our website.
Other Cases
Other Cases
These projects may not headline our portfolio, yet each reflects the same commitment CHYIHAUR brings to brand and space.
Whatever the scale, every piece is held to the same standard — so each sign, each installation, becomes a definitive mark the brand leaves on the city.
