Monique Lee · CLIENT: Xin Ming Yuen
The entrance is a parade of contrasting materials, structures, and colors. The reception area is a space of tranquil comfort. Auspicious patterns encounter playful decorations. Behind is a dynamic bar area within a resting context. Traditional Chinese character Hui pattern led lights adds a sense of futurism. Going through a delicately adorned roofed cloister is the dining area. Decorated with floral, carb fish images, embossed stained glass screens and the ancient herbalist Bai Zi cabinets, it is a visual journey through time and cultural relics in fashion.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Essence of traditions are reinterpreted in a contemporary manner. It defines generation from different aspects and connects diversities in harmony. Antique connects with modernity, liveliness with peace, east with west, domestic with exotic. Contrasting properties of matt and shiny finish, elevation and indention, relaxation and invigoration provide new visual experience. Together with ancient symbols, patterns, materials and details, each corner is a unique complex of art, culture and fashion.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The site area is 489 sq.m.
- Tags
- Shanghai, China in the 50’s and 60’s, Friends, Lunch & Dinner, Restaurant, Time travel, Multiculturalism.
- Production Technology
- Modern techniques revive ancient design concepts in new materials for a novel visual experience. Traditional Chinese brick walls are changed to wood materials with a brick texture coating. The water jet cutting technology executes mosaic tile auspicious designs onto marble stones. Oxidized mirror effect for a nostalgic ceiling at reception is achieved by eroded steel plate. LED light tubes form a modernized Return pattern on ceiling for soft and even lighting over the bar area.
- Design Challenge
- Since the use of glass ceiling is against the China's law, oxidized mirror ceiling above the reception is replaced by treated steel plate. To achieve the desired effect, much effort and time have been put on applying erosive solutions to get close to the original design. Track lights are added over the bar counter for a stronger lighting effect. We have difficulties in getting exceptional slim and long light poles to go through the gaps among the grid frames of Chinese character Hui pattern.
- Project Duration
- The project started in November 2018 in Beijing, China and finished in June 2019. The restaurant formally started business in July 2019.
It is located at L1-12, Parkview Green FangCapDi, No. 9 Donadagiao Road, Chaoyang Dist., Beijing, China - Operation Flow
- Memories touch our souls. The design has flashbacks of Shanghai in the 50's and 60's which marks the golden decades of modern China. Traditions passed down through centuries are strongly impacted by Western culture and modernity. Every corner shows traces of history at, before and beyond the period. Customers travel and explore history through different time spaces, feel and interpret their own feelings.
- Research
- Information regarding eastern and western art, architecture is mainly collected on the internet and from designer's personal collection of books about interior designs and architectural history.
- Inspiration
- Concept is inspired by Hong Kong's East meets West culture. It embraces the finest qualities of a traditional culture passed down in a modern context. It's great attention to fine details is an echo to the restaurant's perfect presentation of food colours, aroma, taste and appearance. Design is a travel through time concept and infused with a nostalgic mood of the old Shanghai Paris in the Orient where Chinese traditions were strongly influenced by modernity. It has lived and evoluted to the present.
- Image Credits
- Copyright of photos belongs to Xin Ming Yuen.
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to Monique Lee, 2018.
Press releases are available in 1 languages.