Bronze Interior · 2025
Tea Time Cultural Space
by Hang Chen
- Bronze A' Design Award 2025 in Interior
- CLIENT: WE-Me Group of Shenzhen Water Planning & Design Institute Co., Ltd.
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 12,542
- Verification code D27C84E708 · Verify this award
Colors
About Tea Time Cultural Space
Tea Time is a reimagined tea house in Jianshui Ancient Town, designed to blend tradition with modern aesthetics. It enhances light, airflow, and spatial flow while preserving historical charm. Six immersive tea experiences unfold in a space shaped by copper-toned facades, transparent details, and nature-inspired elements. Water-textured acrylic, glass tiles, and preserved elmwood create a sensory journey, where architecture and nature shape each moment in time.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Tea Time Cultural Space is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Tea Time Cultural Space is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Tea Time Cultural Space splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Tea Time is a tea house renovation project in Jianshui Ancient Town that seamlessly blends tradition with modern aesthetics. The design enhances natural light, ventilation, and spatial flow while preserving the historical charm of the architecture. Featuring six immersive tea experiences, the space integrates copper-toned facades, transparent glass interfaces, and natural materials. Through thoughtful spatial organization, it creates a serene and engaging environment that embodies the art of tea culture.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The design emphasizes spatial fluidity, allowing tea appreciation to unfold organically. Open interfaces enhance airflow, reducing reliance on mechanical ventilation. Carefully placed materials and lighting create a soft, immersive environment that adapts to different times of the day, reinforcing the concept of tea as an experience that evolves with time.
- Tags
- Interior Design, Cultural Space, Jianshui, Tea House, Flowing Time
- Production Technology
- The project utilizes a blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern materials:
Water-textured acrylic panels and glass tiles enhance natural lighting.
Fiberglass and real stone paint sculpt landscape-inspired elements.
Preserved elmwood and metal accents balance warmth with structural elegance.
These materials create a seamless dialogue between nature, light, and human experience. - Design Challenge
- Balancing historic preservation with modern usability was a key challenge. The original building lacked sufficient natural light and spatial cohesion. The design solution introduced open interfaces, light-diffusing materials, and strategic airflow enhancements to create an inviting, energy-efficient space where tea culture thrives within a contemporary setting.
- Research
- The design was informed by extensive research into tea rituals, spatial storytelling, and environmental integration. Traditional Jianshui tea houses provided historical context, while modern lighting and airflow strategies ensured functional adaptability. The result is a harmonious blend of past and present, where each cup of tea is experienced as a moment in time.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the poetic rhythm of time, Tea Time captures the essence of tea drinking as a meditative journey. The space unfolds like a flowing narrative, where light shifts, air circulates, and materials evoke a connection to nature. By merging tradition with modern simplicity, the project transforms tea drinking into a ritual that celebrates slowness, serenity, and the timeless charm of Jianshui’s historic landscape.
- Project Duration
- Location: Yinghui Road, Jianshui Ancient Town, China
Completion: 2024 - Operation Flow
- Tea Time is designed to balance social interaction and personal retreat. The entrance seamlessly guides guests through a visually engaging display, blending the tea house with the cityscape. Inside, a deep balcony connects private and communal spaces, allowing different activities to coexist harmoniously. Optimized airflow and natural light enhance comfort, while interactive design elements encourage engagement. The layout ensures a dynamic yet tranquil experience, where visitors can enjoy tea culture in a thoughtfully curated setting.
- Image Credits
- Hang Chen