The Afarinesh Gallery is situated in a corner of an urban plaza in the heart of Isfahan city. This square is steps away from Chahar Bagh-e Abbasi Street, facing the renowned Abbasi Hotel.

The project covers an area of approximately 20 square meters and serves both as an art gallery for selling artworks and as a painting class.

Through our study and analysis of the project, we realized that if people see artists actively working inside the gallery from outside, the likelihood of customers entering to buy artworks will be significantly reduced.

‏This is because potential customers may perceive that their entry could disrupt the artists’ focus, which poses an ethical barrier potentially impacting the gallery’s sales aspect.

To reconcile these two different functions, we have perforated mirrored partition in the center of the gallery. Behind this partition, we have organized the painting class area, utilizing the eastern and western walls of the project for displaying artworks. This way, what passersby see from outside is simply an art gallery showcasing paintings.

Recognizing the urban plazas in Isfahan as highly valuable contemporary architectural heritage, we endeavored to design our project in harmony with the lines, materials, and colors existing in the plaza, minimizing any visual interference with its surrounding space. With this approach, we integrated the stones from the plaza floor, their lines, and bricks into the interior of the gallery.

Furthermore, we adorned the arched partition inside the shop with traditional mirror works to connect the project with its traditional roots in a modern manner and simultaneously reflect a glimpse of the entire plaza within the gallery space.

In essence, by reducing visual interference and extending materials and lines into the gallery, we pay homage to the esteemed architect of the project, Master Elias Yassi Gobay.

We hope this design pattern will be appreciated and utilized by individuals planning future renovations of other units within the plaza, serving as a step towards preserving this valuable landmark.