Press Release
Xiaoman Hotpot Restaurant by Di Qin Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Di Qin for interior space and exhibition design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 26, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Xiaoman Hotpot Restaurant by Di Qin, designed for Zhengyang Design Agency, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
Regarding Xiaoman Hotpot Restaurant
Xiaoman Hotpot is a restaurant interior of 800 square meters in Changchun. The design is inspired by the Chinese solar term Xiaoman and by traditional landscape painting. Raw wood, stone, and rattan are combined with handcrafted ceramics and celadon tableware. Partitions, screens, and platforms divide the open plan into layered seating areas. Vertical greenery and natural material installations add ecological art. Soft indirect lighting supports a calm atmosphere. The intent is to make dining a quiet cultural experience.
About Di Qin
Qin Di is an experienced designer and a contemporary translator of Oriental aesthetics. A graduate of Harbin Institute of Technology with a major in architecture, she laid a solid foundation in architectural space theory, complemented by research in environmental art design—integrating architectural spatial logic with artistic aesthetic expression to develop both theoretical depth and practical execution capabilities.
Award Record
This recognition makes Di Qin a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award
The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Entries typically include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. Awarded interior designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/interior
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/176470
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/176470
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!176470
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/373621
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Xiaoman Hotpot Restaurant
- Function
- Restaurant
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Black, Dark Slate Gray, Dark Olive Green, Dim Gray and Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Zhengyang Design Agency
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Di Qin
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #176470
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photographer Qin Di, Xiaoman Hotpot, 2025.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This dining space reinterprets the Chinese solar term "Xiaoman" through a modern narrative of landscape painting and Zen philosophy. Using raw wood, stone, and rattan, it blends ecological art with Eastern aesthetics, emphasizing simplicity, tranquility, and blank space. Unlike conventional hotpot restaurants, it offers an immersive cultural and sensory journey where dining becomes both poetic and contemplative.
- Inspiration
- The project is inspired by the seasonal philosophy of "Xiaoman,"symbolizing growth, vitality, and reverence for natural rhythms. Drawing from the principles of Eastern aesthetics and traditional landscape painting, the design seeks to transform the dining experience into a meditative encounter with nature and time, reflecting both cultural heritage and modern life.
- Research
- The design is grounded in cultural research on the Chinese solar term "Xiaoman," aiming to translate its symbolism of growth and balance into space. Methods included studying traditional aesthetics, observing lifestyles, and testing natural materials and lighting. Results show that seasonal colors, blankness, and Zen order create calm atmospheres. Insights highlight how cultural narratives transform dining into poetic sanctuaries, enhancing user well-being and business value.
- Challenge
- The greatest challenge lay in balancing cultural subtlety with functional dining needs. Translating abstract Eastern philosophies of "simplicity and emptiness" into practical space required rigorous material selection and restraint. Limitations in construction techniques and sustainable sourcing were overcome by close collaboration with artisans, achieving harmony of tradition, ecology, and modern lifestyle.
- Realization and Technology
- The design employs natural and sustainable materials including raw wood, stone, and rattan, paired with handcrafted ceramics and celadon tableware. Ecological art methods such as plant integration, vertical greenery, and natural material installations are applied. Soft indirect lighting, dynamic projections, and minimalist furnishing techniques create spatial hierarchy and atmosphere.
- Operation and Interaction
- Guests are welcomed into an open-plan dining space where circulation follows the rhythm of a landscape painting, creating exploration and discovery. Seating areas are softly divided by furniture, rugs, and screens, while lighting, greenery, and art encourage contemplation. The interaction extends beyond eating, offering a holistic cultural and sensory journey.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in March 2025 and finished in August 2025 in Changchun.
- Specifications
- The project covers a total area of 800 square meters. The spatial system is organized through partitions, screens, and platforms to create layered circulation and visual rhythm. Finishes include natural wood, stone, rattan, and celadon, combined with indirect warm lighting for atmosphere. Art installations employ logs, stones, and natural textures to achieve both sustainability and aesthetic authenticity.
- Keywords
- Dining Space Design, Xiaoman Solar Term, Eastern Aesthetics, Zen Hotpot Restaurant, Ecological Art, Landscape Painting Narrative, Raw Wood and Stone, Wabi-Sabi, Poetic Dining, Cultural Sensory Experience
