Designed by XML, Hangover Information Center (HIC) is a store that sells vitamin drinks.
Located in Amsterdam’s infamous De Wallen red light district, HIC stands in contrast as a minimalist and sleek space that is “saturated in white light”.
“Since its an area well known for its nightlife, our client had the idea this store would be a nice remedy for all the drinking and partying going on there,” said XML co-founders Max Cohen de Lara and David Mulder.
“We decided to play with this idea of light, as it is already the most important aesthetic feature of the area evening,” added the architects.
Featuring a 9-metre-long bar counter that is made from translucent sheets of polycarbonate and lit from within by 28 tube lights, there is also a mirror placed at the back of the store to create a sense of greater space.
“Our challenge was to come up with a design that could attract people that pass by and yet communicate to be something completely different to its neighbours,” said the architects. “Since the space is tiny, we proposed to focus on a single feature. The element also plays with the idea of a reception desk, familiar from pharmacies, but then pushed to an extreme.”
HIC’s vitamin drink called RESET is lined on shelves with intergrated LED lighting. Containing water, nutrients, choline, vitamins and amino-acids, RESET is specifically made to mitigate the effects of a hangover.
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