Orchid 
Project Name: MUUN Project
Location: Solana Beach, California, USA
Area: 645 sq ft
Photography: Jaime Navarro
Design Narrative:
MUUN is a concept store conceived by three women—mother and daughters—as a tribute to the art of making, handcrafted design, and shared heritage. Located in Solana Beach, California, MUUN celebrates Mexican craftsmanship through a space where each object is thoughtfully curated and immersed in an architecture that is enveloping, delicate, and sensory.
The name “Muun,” which means tender in the Mayan language, sets the emotional tone for the spatial narrative. From the outside, a sober concrete façade is punctured by a large window that reveals a softly glowing pink interior. Inside, a continuous sculptural landscape of curves, smooth textures, and curated objects creates an intimate, almost womb-like experience—a protective cave where the everyday becomes aesthetic encounter.
The architectural design breaks away from the traditional notion of a retail store. There are no loose furnishings or freestanding pieces; everything emerges as part of the same constructed gesture. Display platforms blend into the walls and surfaces, forming a topographic system of flowing lines that organizes without dividing. At the center, a sculptural table serves as both focal point and functional anchor for circulation and interaction.
Material choices support and enhance this narrative. The primary construction material, drywall (tablaroca), is molded and finished to create seamless organic forms. This choice nods to the postmodern Californian architecture of the 1980s, now reinterpreted through a contemporary, feminine lens. The drywall allows for formal freedom, speed, and plasticity—qualities that here translate into softness, lightness, and sophistication.
From the ceiling, a group of handmade woven lamps hang like floating straw crowns, adding texture, shade, and a reference to traditional Mexican craftsmanship. Indirect lighting softly bathes the space, enhancing the curves and producing a warm, contemplative atmosphere.
Functional areas—cash wrap, storage, and fitting room—are seamlessly integrated, maintaining visual and spatial continuity. Every square foot of the compact 645 sq ft space is carefully utilized, balancing functionality with a strong aesthetic identity.
MUUN is a store, yes—but also a manifesto of the sensitive. It is an architecture that embraces, a space to be felt through the body and the senses. A tender space, as its name suggests, that elevates design through intimacy, femininity, and craft.