This Tiny Gift Shop in Georgia Absorbs Its Entire Lakeside Setting Into Glass and Stone.

Nestled within the sprawling 60-hectare Lopota Lake Resort & Spa in Georgia’s Kakheti wine region, a 48-square-metre gift shop by Studio Gypsandconcrete does something clever—it brings the lake indoors.

Led by architect Lado Lomitashvili, the Tbilisi-based practice (whose founder trained at the Design Academy Eindhoven after studying architecture at Tbilisi State Academy of Arts) has designed a compact retail interior that takes its entire conceptual framework from the body of water it faces. The resort complex is organised around a central lake, and the gift shop sits in one of the buildings directly overlooking it. Rather than simply framing views, the design absorbs the lake’s qualities—its colour, its reflective surface, its depth—and translates them into material and light.

Green glass, mirrored on one side, is the primary material. It references the lake’s reflective surface while capturing something of its green depth when viewed from within. Walls are finished with small greenish-grey stone gravel, and sections of the original local stone structure have been left deliberately exposed. The contrast between these two stone conditions breaks down the scale of the space and introduces an almost abstract reading of the walls—rough local stone meeting refined gravel in a way that feels both grounded and slightly otherworldly.

The lighting operates in two considered layers: linear architectural lights that appear to float just below the ceiling plane, and wall sconces that reference fishing floats—a playful nod to the lakeside setting. Waterproof and reflective materials are used throughout, including shelving made from waterproof MDF, reinforcing the aquatic theme without overdoing it.

Two design moves stand out. An existing decorative column was removed and repurposed as the leg of the front display table, shifting its role from ornament to structure—a smart, resourceful gesture. And a two-way mirror placed at the centre of the shop reflects from one side while remaining transparent from the other, maintaining uninterrupted views toward the lake.

It’s a small project with a strong idea. Studio Gypsandconcrete has taken the most obvious feature of the site—its proximity to water—and woven it through every decision, from materiality to lighting to spatial tricks.

A Jewel in Armadale's Crown: Sarah & Sebastian's Boutique Designed by Richards Stanisich.

Art meets retail in Sarah & Sebastian's Armadale store, designed by Richards Stanisich. The boutique seamlessly blends Victorian heritage with contemporary design, featuring monolithic display plinths, metallic surfaces, deep sepia linens, and ocean-inspired epoxy floors.

[Images courtesy of Studio Gypsandconcrete. Photography by Grigory Sokolinsky.]