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KUAN YUN ZHAI YU
Project category: Restaurant
Furniture: CH88 beech/stainless steel, CH88 painted black and grey/stainless steel, CH37 oak/oil, CH46 oak/oil by Hans J. Wegner and TK8 oak/oil/Loke 7150 by Thomas Bo Kastholm
Location: 27 Kuan Lane, Qing Yang District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China
Architect: Wang Hai
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PROJECT
Kuan Yun Zhai (Flowing clouds, drizzling rains) located in the metropolis of Chengdu’s famous Kuan-Zhai Lane consists of a complex of preserved, original courtyard houses (Siheyuan) and three parallel narrow streets: Kuan (Wide) Lane, Zhai (Narrow) Lane and Jing (Where you draw water) Lane. In 2012, the owner of Kuan Yun Zhai Yu – Shi Qiao – also acquired the Meng Shan Tea Factory and decided to convert Kuan Yun Zhai into a tea house and a restaurant where he could promote Meng Shan – one of the oldest varieties of tea in China.
Shi Qiao is a great admirer of the Chong De Li tea house, which he feels expresses precisely the spirit a tea house must possess. (See case: Chong De Li). Shi Qiao therefore tasked interior designer Wang Hai with transforming Kuan Yun Zhai – a job that encompassed interior design, furniture, staff dress, graphics and all the elements that comprise tea serving. The unusually stunning and atmospheric tea house opened its doors on 1 October 2014 – China’s National Day.
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LAYOUT & FURNISHINGS
Even from the outside, Kuan Yun Zhai’s patinated, beautiful brick facades, pillars in grayish tones and sandstone ornamentation announce that a special experience is in store. Inside, guests encounter well-proportioned rooms, clean surfaces and genuine materials – not to mention stunning beauty and serene tranquility.
A large courtyard area with a square pond containing colorful fish forms the center of the tea house. Here you can sit back and enjoy your tea in the open air by the edge of the pool while under the cover of an original cantilevered roof or a glass canopy supported by a black-painted steel structure. The ground area is covered with gray slate and guests recline in CH88 with a black-painted backrest and a seat upholstered in black leather.
Inside, the floors are finished in stained oak and here Wang Hai has chosen CH88 with gray or black backrests, respectively, or CH46 in oak. Open oak bookshelves in oak containing literature double as room dividers. Interior walls are painted white, providing a beautiful contrast to the black-painted wooden ceiling structure.
INTERIOR ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER WANG HAI , COMMENTS ON THE CHOICE OF FURNITURE:
"Every piece in this tea house has its own story. I have used Wang Chuan’s (a well-known artist) calligraphy, Guo Qiang’s Sealcutting, Jing De Zhen’s ceramics and Carl Hansen & Søn furniture to create a tranquil interior, where people can enjoy reading, eating and tea tasting in a modern functional and comfortable space. The temperament of Wegner chairs blends perfectly with Chinese tea culture."
Go to product page CH88 dining chair
Go to Product page CH37 dining chair
Go to product page CH46 dining chair
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