In Fuzhou, China, Karv One Design has combined terrazzo, gridded metal and greenery to conceive a dream-like cafe.
October 30th, 2021
Conceived by Karv One Design, Vista is a cafe that feels like a futuristic, upside-down world, where vegetation hangs from the ceiling and the terrazzo floor is reminiscent of a cloudy sky.
The 930 square-metre cafe is located in Fuzhou, China and each aspect of its palette is calming and subtle, yet the combination of features produces an engaging, sculptural and unexpected design.
The design is meant to bring “a brand-new sense of lightness and imagination to the café experience,” says lead architect Kyle Chan.
The material palette is relatively minimal, with each element of the design used consistently. White terrazzo speckled with flecks of beige and dark grey covers the floor, curving bench seats around the sides of the curving staircase.
White gridded metal forms the handrail of the staircase and is also used to create a curving maze across the ceiling. The metal grid resembles “a fluttering ribbon in the wind,” and is designed to create a dream-like space, says Chan.
Green grassy balls hang weightlessly down, planet-like, in the space left by the staircase’s curve, an alien-like mirroring of the verdant greenery that covers the ceiling.
On one wall, a large surface of gradient glass acts to visually extend the space, while also strengthening the dreamy feeling of the space. In the centre of the room a bar covered in silver panelling hosts the espresso machine and is flanked by dark green stools. Soft linear lighting joins the terrazzo and metal to “carve out the most beautiful form of space”.
Outside the space, a water feature creates a reflective surface, mirroring the facade of the cafe.
“Different behavioural patterns are generated when people are gathered in this surreal white garden and interact with each other,” says Chan. “The people flow inside the space and the water elements outside the space echo with the thematic atmosphere of the project, creating a perfect spatial experience for visitors.”
Karv One is a design studio with offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Chengdu and Wuhan.
The result of Karv One’s design is both futuristic and dreamlike, with an exterior that is at once both intriguing and welcoming.
Karv One
karvone.com
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Taigu Design and CEIBS Shenzhen Campus have collaborated to design the first business school in China, signifying a shift in the region’s educational framework.
A hair salon in the Japanese capital blends a language of metal and water in a distinctive, original design.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
A school in India, designed by Vijay Gupta Architects, showcases the importance of the natural world by engaging and educating the young.
The official launch of the 2024 WA Architect Awards opens today – Wednesday 1st May – with the opening of the AIA WA Awards Exhibition.