Commissioned by tea beverage brand JI BWILL CHA JI to design their first tea store in Shaoxing. The brand was founded in 2022 and mainly deals with tea drinks, tea wine, desserts and tea products. The project is located in Keqiao, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, in a small independent ancient building with two floors, an area of 200 m². The store sells tea by day, wine by night, occasional small gatherings, and small art events.
Designer: Water Team Design
Photographer: ACT STUDIO
Shaoxing stone, tin pots, and woolen hats are extracted from the regional culture and injected into the space at multiple levels. Stepping in, the bar created by old stone slabs, small green bricks, clear cement and messy aluminum plates.
The teahouse is also the concept of a bar, using the original building's column relationship to enclose. In ancient times, the tea pavilion can shelter from the wind and rain, rest and stay; in leisure time, the tea pavilion can talk and make friends, drink tea and play chess. The tea pavilion has the functions of physical shelter, scenery viewing and socializing. Visitors passing by, and nearby residents are welcome to come in and have a seat and a cup of tea
.
Can sit around the bar and along the window. The sound of making and pouring tea and the taste of various kinds of tea bring a warm and relaxing feeling.The patchwork recombination of materials from different eras awakens the memory of the handmade era and showcases the tradition and culture behind the modernist form.
The second floor is limited in size but infinitely interesting. The space is divided into small private parties, private room service and multi-functional application scenarios.
We "think architecturally" about the furniture placed in the space (coffee table, chairs). While the hard furnishings form the space, the furniture adds more dimensions to the space and establishes an emotional link. Through materials and geometric proportions, the complete realization of function is achieved, and the sense of architectural proportions is appropriately integrated, expecting the product and space to jointly convey the brand's vision and new sense of value.
Response to Shaoxing humanities and arts. Presenting the spirit of oriental aesthetics with contemporary restraint, it creates the form of tea space that can dialogue with people in a calm manner. Breaking the stereotype of traditional tea space and constructing a new type of tea drinking social space in the land of culture.
