Evolution Casa: Bespoke European Furniture for Homeowners Wanting to Splash Out
There’s no getting around it: Evolution Casa won’t be for everyone. The prices at this bespoke furniture outlet nestled in Lido’s Audi Goldenport Motor Park range from expensive to bankrupting, but what Evolution Casa provides and prides itself on is delivering authentic pieces of European fittings that can’t be found anywhere else in China, let alone Beijing.
Most of the pieces fall into the classical and neoclassical mold and are obtained directly from Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Items are handpicked based upon their quality and originality, traits that ensures that they remain exclusive and impossible to copy by any wily competitors looking to offload ersatz versions.
If it’s not individual pieces that you’re after then Evolution Casa also extends their service to full interior design, meeting with clients to map out an entire room, house, or office to specific requirements and preferences. Items are then chosen by the team and arranged accordingly, the store only taking a cut of what is purchased and providing labor pro bono.
For clients who are looking for the true haute experience, there’s even an option to travel to the factories in Italy, allowing customers to inspect the furniture directly at the source. This gives a wider breadth of choice and a customization and familiarity that is not attainable from Beijing. Management are proficient in English, making the process of ordering just as easy to navigate for expats than it is for locals.
Like I said, this certainly won’t suit everyone’s price range, but that doesn’t make it inaccessible per se. The airy and bright showroom also houses a café for which the furniture doubles up as its dining area, allowing patrons to enjoy the benefits of living in luxury without taking the necessary blow to their wallets – think of it as a very upscale Ikea, without the sleeping or the deranged damas.
On offer are a selection of reasonably priced snacks, including cakes (RMB 35-42), salads (RMB 38-48), pasta dishes (RMB 48-52), paninis and burgers (RMB 38-68), waffles (RMB 42), as well as your usual refreshments and juices. The seafood pasta and beef steak panini were both executed well with significantly more flair than what you might expect from a small café tucked away inside a furniture store.
Evolution Casa looks to expand in both selection and floor space in the coming months, the showroom as it is now doubling in size, and inventory will begin to tilt towards a more modern design, mirroring the tastes of trendsetters and interior designers in Europe.
Evolution Casa
Daily 10am-6pm. Goldenport Beiyi Lu, Audi Goldenport Motor Park, Chaoyang District (8433 3995 ext. 810, 186 1185 1870)
朝阳区东苇路金港汽车公园 金港北一路（奥迪体验中心左侧）
Photos: Tom Arnstein
