Now Instant Image Hall
2023 Chinatown, Los Angeles, CASituated on Chung King Road in a tucked away plaza found in Los Angeles’ historic Chinatown, the Now Instant Image Hall contextualizes itself among the eye-catching rows of colorful storefronts. Alongside Designer Reid Ulrich, and in partnership with LOC Architects, the design aims to synthesize materiality, color, and programming to create a multi-functional space that feels uniqe, warm, and inviting, all while mainting the visual identity and ethos of Now Instant. The 2,500 sq. ft. space features a curated bookstore, an intimate viewing room, and a lounge on the lower level. The material applications, millwork, varying textures, and bold, graphic details lend themselves to the function of each of the spaces.
The bookstore–a straightforward, bold, minimal first impression, plays host to a curated selection of media framed by wooden millwork, simplified geometries, softened by velvet valances, upholstered cushions, and a patterned rug that anchors the room. The viewing hall is saturated in green where everything is blanketed in the same green velvet material, creating an intimate, theatrical atmosphere for vieweing films and hosting discussions. Finally, a dreamy lounge space can be found on the lower level, where mixtures of green stone, warm lighting, graphic checkered flooring, and black leather seating merge to create a cozy, dreamlike post-viewing space.
Now Instant Image Hall expands past cinema, serving as a community space for artists and creators to showcase their work. Since it’s opening, it has played host to book and magazine launches, local video pieces, and film screenings, celebrating new and emerging voices that otherwise may not be presented in the context of film.
Collaborators: Reid Ulrich, Now Instant Team, LOC Architects, G&G Structures (Structural), GMEP Engineers (MEP)
Photographer: Courtesy of Now Instant
