Xiyuan Teahouse Hospitality Space by Cao Sun is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Silver A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design Competition Category.
SilverInterior· 2026
Xiyuan Teahouse Hospitality Space
by Cao Sun
Client: Nova Space Design
Silver A' Design Award Winner in Interior Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #174659The Design
About Xiyuan Teahouse Hospitality Space
Xiyuan Teahouse is a teahouse interior located beside West Lake in Hangzhou, China. The 1500 square meter space includes an elevated central tea platform, eight private rooms, a sculptural bronze staircase with inlaid greenwood railings, and a water feature integrated with the landscape. Handcrafted wood veneers and light toned plaster walls are used throughout. Custom framed windows open views toward the lake. A loop circulation path guides guests slowly through the rooms. The design reinterprets traditional Eastern aesthetics for a modern hospitality setting.
The Recognition
About the Silver A' Design Award
Xiyuan Teahouse Hospitality Space is a Silver A' Design Award winner, an extraordinarily prestigious recognition granted to top-of-the-line, gorgeous, and impressive designs. Silver winners are tremendously brilliant and exceedingly creative works that illustrate the outstanding expertise, talent, and acuity of their designers. Xiyuan Teahouse Hospitality Space is expected to be a wonderful, showpiece work that is remarkably professional and profoundly innovative. This Silver A' Design Award-winning design is a highly notable, admired invention that benefits and advances the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Xiyuan Teahouse Hospitality Space is a vastly envied creation that evokes desires, introduces positive feelings, and sparks amazement and wonderment.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- This project reinterprets Oriental aesthetics through modern spatial language, blending symbolic elements, nature inspired materials, and layered spatial planning. Located by West Lake, it integrates landscape, function, and narrative to provide guests with a serene, immersive cultural experience. Its sculptural staircase, window-framed views, and poetic detailing create a unique sense of ritual and emotional resonance.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Total built area: 1500 square meters. Key spatial components include an elevated central tea platform, eight distinctive private rooms, a sculptural bronze staircase, and a landscape integrated water feature. Window systems are custom framed to optimize views and natural lighting. Materials are chosen to enhance symbolic and sensory experience.
- Tags
- Oriental Aesthetics, West Lake, Tea Culture, Immersive Space, Cultural Memory, Landscape Integration, Bronze Staircase, Handcrafted Materials, Poetic Space, Spiritual Retreat
- Production Technology
- The teahouse features handcrafted wood veneers, bronze clad spiral stairs with inlaid greenwood railings, artisanal light toned plaster walls, and custom crystal acrylic tea sculptures. Spatial planning follows a loop circulation strategy, optimizing lake views and operational efficiency while reinforcing the natural and cultural dialogue of the interior.
- Design Challenge
- The core challenge lay in reinterpreting traditional Eastern aesthetics in a modern hospitality context without resorting to pastiche. Balancing symbolic depth with operational needs, integrating natural and built landscapes, and addressing tourist engagement within a historically significant setting required careful design logic and cultural sensitivity.
- Research
- Design research began with site analysis and historical study of Wang Yutai Tea House and literati traditions. Methodology included archival review, interviews, and spatial simulations. Participants included hotel operators, historians, and tea masters. Insights informed symbolic design, spatial zoning, and sensory elements. Results strengthened cultural resonance and guest engagement.
- Inspiration
- The design was inspired by the century old heritage of the Wang Yutai Tea House and the refined literati lifestyle of West Lake's past. From the "West Lake Moon Gatherings" to the tranquil tea rituals, the project revives cultural memories through spatial storytelling, aiming to reconnect modern life with traditional Eastern ideals of beauty, balance, and contemplation.
- Project Duration
- The project started in January 2024 in Hangzhou, China and finished in October 2024.
- Operation Flow
- The design encourages slow paced, reflective engagement. Visitors enter through a symbolic gateway and follow a circular path that reveals lake views, private rooms, and shared tea platforms. Seating and height variations allow layered interaction with the scenery. The flow fosters both intimacy and openness, enhancing spiritual and sensory experiences.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Zhang jianing, Xiyuan Teahouse, 2024.
Image #1: Photographer Zhang jianing, Xiyuan Teahouse, 2024.
Image #1: Photographer Zhang jianing, Xiyuan Teahouse, 2024.
Image #1: Photographer Zhang jianing, Xiyuan Teahouse, 2024.
Image #1: Photographer Zhang jianing, Xiyuan Teahouse, 2024.
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