Warm honey-toned wood paneling dominates the ceiling plane of Yi Zhou's Cad Coffee Cafes, establishing an immediate thermal presence that cascades through this meticulously orchestrated interior compo

Yi Zhou's Cad Coffee Cafes presents a sophisticated interior environment where warm timber dominates the upper registers through extensive horizontal wood paneling in rich burnt sienna and raw umber t

Yi Zhou's Cad Coffee Cafes unfolds as an elongated interior corridor rendered in a sophisticated interplay of warm timber tonalities and disciplined geometric articulation, where horizontal linearity

Yi Zhou's Cad Coffee Cafes presents an interior retail environment organized through a tripartite spatial hierarchy beginning with a custom service counter at foreground center, which occupies approxi

Warm honey-toned oak shelving establishes the dominant architectural grid, articulating a precisely calibrated asymmetrical composition that balances monumental scale with intimate human proportions,

Silver Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2026

Cad Coffee Cafes

by Yi Zhou

A' Design Award 2026 Silver Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Awarded April 15, 2026
CLIENT: Dayi Design
Estimated Number of Design Views: 19,948
Verification code 6ECD40D626 · Verify this award

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About Cad Coffee Cafes

Cad Coffee is a cafe interior set within a former cement factory beside a city park in Jiangsu, China. The original reinforced concrete shell and frame were retained, with partial steel reinforcement. Large floor-to-ceiling glass panels bring daylight inside and open the rooms to the parkland. Functional zones are arranged around a central coffee bar and include tiered seating, wooden counters, textile upholstery and multi-functional partitions. Reclaimed wood and coarse fabrics were sourced locally. The space covers 1000 square meters.

Yi Zhou's Cad Coffee Cafes presents a compelling synthesis of mid-century modern design inheritance and contemporary hospitality sensibility, creating an environment that transcends conventional café typology to achieve something approaching domestic sanctuary within a commercial framework. The spatial composition demonstrates sophisticated understanding of threshold psychology, employing steel-framed textured glass partitions as mediating elements that simultaneously define boundaries and invite passage, filtering natural illumination into soft atmospheric luminosity that bathes the warm wood ceiling in gentle gradations of amber light. The material palette speaks to a refined appreciation for craft heritage: honey-toned timber planking overhead establishes visual warmth and acoustic intimacy, while the careful orchestration of furniture—including bentwood chairs with woven natural fiber seats and a distinctive red-framed display table—suggests curatorial attention typically reserved for residential interiors of considerable sophistication. The background library wall, populated with books, ceramics, botanical specimens, and framed artworks, functions simultaneously as spatial terminus and cultural signifier, proposing the café as a site of intellectual engagement and aesthetic contemplation rather than mere consumption. One observes particular accomplishment in the chromatic restraint exercised throughout: the predominantly warm neutral foundation permits strategic color accents—vermillion, viridian, ultramarine—to achieve maximum visual impact without disrupting the essential harmony. The inclusion of abundant plant life, from trailing specimens on upper shelves to potted varieties on tables, introduces biophilic elements that soften architectural geometry while suggesting growth, vitality, and connection to natural cycles. Viewers might consider how this environment proposes an alternative model of public gathering space, one that honors traditions of domestic hospitality while accommodating contemporary social rituals of coffee culture and creative community.

Press Kit

Unique Properties: This design revitalizes a former cement factory adjacent to a city park into an open, layered coffee space. Retaining the building's raw structural form and historical traces, the renovation introduces expansive glazing, natural lighting, and modular zoning. Functional areas extend around a central coffee bar, meeting diverse social and individual needs. The result is a fluid, quiet retreat that harmonizes industrial memory with organic textures and urban leisure.
Dimensions & Packaging: The space spans a total of 1000 square meters. Its structural shell uses reinforced concrete, with partial steel frame reinforcement. For fenestration, it features custom French floor-to-ceiling glass panels. Inside, the layout includes tiered seating, integrated wooden counters, textile upholstery, and multi-functional partitions. Natural finishes dominate, paired with curated greenery and art to add spatial layering. Passive ventilation and strategic solar exposure optimize indoor comfort and lighting balance throughout the day.
Tags: Interior Design, Adaptive Reuse, Coffee Space, Industrial Renovation, Nature Integration, Minimal Intervention, Spatial Layering, Daylight Design, Cement Factory Conversion, Emotional Design
Production Technology: The project employed minimal intervention principles, retaining the original concrete shell and frame. Locally sourced materials such as reclaimed wood and coarse fabrics were prioritized to reduce carbon footprint. Large glass panels and French windows were retrofitted to engage the outdoors, while natural light strategies replaced artificial lighting. Restoration over remodeling guided the process, preserving both structural integrity and aged textures.
Design Challenge: The greatest challenge was balancing preservation with intervention honoring the cement factory's raw essence while introducing comfort and adaptability. Regulatory constraints, structural aging, and limited mechanical systems posed technical hurdles. Externally, expectations of renovation equals polish were resisted. The team redefined value as emotional atmosphere over perfection, transforming ruins into a warm, contextual, and shared emotional terrain.
Project Duration: The project started in February 2024 in Jiangsu, China and finished in June 2024.
Operation Flow: The space invites users into a seamless transition from city park to cafe, with natural light guiding circulation. Centralized around the coffee counter, zones for group gatherings, solo reading, or business interaction unfold intuitively. Elevated seating introduces spatial rhythm, while outdoor garden terraces blur boundaries with the landscape. The space adapts to individual paces whether lingering alone or casually socializing within an open, sensory rich environment.
Research: This spatial research explores how adaptive reuse and minimalist renovation can provide emotional refuge within urban settings. Using qualitative site observation, user interviews, and behavior mapping, the study evaluated the impact of spatial openness, daylight, and material tactility on visitor well being. Insights informed design decisions promoting detachment from daily stress. The result: a model of micro-escape architecture balancing emotional need with urban reuse.
Inspiration: Inspired by the emotional fatigue of modern life, the design reinterprets the act of drinking coffee as a pause from relentless urban rhythms. Drawing on the symbolism of ruins, wilderness, and fragmented time, the space merges a disused industrial shell with lush parkland. The aim is not nostalgia, but to plant a quiet unfamiliar moment a detour in life's fast-moving track where visitors reclaim presence through light, nature, and texture.
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Cong Lin, Cad Coffee, 2024.
Image #2: Photographer Cong Lin, Cad Coffee, 2024.
Image #3: Photographer Cong Lin, Cad Coffee, 2024.
Image #4: Photographer Cong Lin, Cad Coffee, 2024.
Image #5: Photographer Cong Lin, Cad Coffee, 2024.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Cong Lin, 2024.