Platinum Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2020
Fengyuan Original Interior Restaurant
- A' Design Award 2020 Platinum Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2020
- CLIENT: X.j.d Lab of Design
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 290,594
- Verification code B40690263C · Verify this award
About Fengyuan Original Interior Restaurant
Fengyuan Original is an interior design for a restaurant that serves coconut water chicken hotpot. The shape of the coconut tree is abstracted into a single symbol, the palm leaf, produced in eight forms from green plated and polished stainless steel, each four meters long. A total of 475 metal leaves are arranged across the interior, forming partitions that separate functional areas and turn the restaurant into a large installation. A water feature, lamps and tables complete the setting. The use of one material and factory prepared parts keeps cost and construction time under control.
Lili Xie's Fengyuan Original Interior Restaurant represents a remarkable achievement in contemporary hospitality design, demonstrating how spatial architecture can transcend mere functionality to create genuinely transformative dining experiences. The designer appears to draw upon the rich tradition of immersive environmental design while simultaneously advancing new formal vocabularies through the innovative deployment of translucent glass structures and suspended sculptural installations. The forest of emerald glass arches suggests an engagement with biophilic design principles, translating natural growth patterns into architectural form while maintaining a distinctly contemporary material sensibility. The central chandelier installation, with its cascade of thousands of reflective elements descending from a mirrored ceiling drum, evokes associations with natural phenomena such as rainfall, waterfalls, or crystalline formations, while its kinetic quality introduces temporal dimension into the otherwise static interior. Technical accomplishment manifests particularly in the integrated lighting design, where edge-illuminated glass creates the impression of forms that generate rather than merely receive light, establishing each arch as simultaneously structural element and luminaire. The chromatic strategy demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how green wavelengths interact with human perception, creating associations with natural environments, renewal, and vitality while the cooler temperature maintains an atmosphere of refined elegance rather than literal naturalism. Spatial organization achieves the delicate balance between theatrical spectacle and intimate dining experience through careful zoning, with curved banquettes creating semi-enclosed conversational pods within the larger dramatic volume. The work invites contemplation of how contemporary design might create spaces that nourish not merely the body through cuisine but the spirit through environmental wonder.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- We aim to create a unique space for the brand. We abstracted the impression of coconut tree to a symbol-palm leaf and built them in 8 different kind, 4 meters long, green-plated steel. After we reassemble and planted them intentionally, the whole space turned into a fantasy forest. We also designed water feature, "droplet" lamp, "spring" table to enhance the experience.The challenge is by using pre-make-installed single material and modularized element to determine a unique space and atmosphere.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- We've chosen 201 steel, 110mm-220mm X 3mm X 4000mm, laser cut into palm leaf shape, 8k polishing, then central axis folded 130 degrees, and bended with 4 different radian. At last, green spot color plating. After all the process above, we've got a metal palm leaf that can stand on its own.Finally, queue up 475 of them in order to form up functional partitions.
- Tags
- coconut chicken, feng yuan, restaurant, interior, space, productization, symbolization, modularization
- Production Technology
- We abstracted the impression of people to coconut tree into a symbol-palm leaf and beautifully built them with 8 different kind,4-meters-long, green-plated steel.After we reassemble and planted them logically, intentionally into the space, these partition wall of palm leaves turned the space into an impressive fantasy forest.It's a challenge to make the 4-meter-long leaves to stand on their own without extra support. After dozen times of experiments and material selection, finally, we found that 3mm thick, central axis folded 130 degrees, 201 steel with high toughness can "stand up on their feet", also can balance the visual effect and manufacture cost. The beautiful shape, brooding green color we've chosen, changed the inherent image of metal to people.From time to time, the leaves sway slightly with the air conditioning wind in the space. This small dynamic makes the space feeling more vivid.
- Design Challenge
- It's not really hard for us to abstract the coconut tree into a symbol that resonates with people.But it's really a challenge to build a metal leaf which can stand on its own without extra support, also has the texture we wanted and above all in a reasonable cost. We did dozen times of experiments: aluminum, iron, 403 steel, 201 steel, 2mm to 8mm thick...Thank god, finally we found that 3mm thick, 130 degrees folded 201 steel can perfectly balance the visual effect and building cost. All the hard work is worth it. The metal leaves are Removable, can maintain always new, and be 100% recycled. It's an application of modular design.It creates a unique space identity for the brand, and this process fits all kinds of layout plan.
- Project Duration
- The project started in March 2018 in Guang Zhou China and finished in September 2018 in Guang Zhou China, the restaurant was opened for business in October 2018 till now.
- Operation Flow
- As you know, a commercial restaurant project is usually lack of time and the owner always wishes to cost a little less. So in this project, we tried to build the space just like the feeling of playing with "LEGO".Different from the tiny plastic bricks of LEGO, We abstracted the impression of people to coconut tree into a component-palm leaf and designed and built our components with green-plated steel from the beginning. They are 4 meters long in 8 different shapes. After we reassemble and planted 475 of them logically, intentionally into the space ,the entire space turned into a huge installation art . We call it "Fantasy forest." The forest has become a unique memory point for people to remember this restaurant. The leaves also play the roles of decoration and partition walls that separates different functional space. By this method, the construction time is well reduced, mass production can effectively control the building cost.
- Research
- We spent 5 months and did the research from the internet to compare all the brands in major cities China that serves coconut chicken."Woody color, gray tiles..."They are all so call "New Chinese style". "We must come up something different, impressive, use the space itself to describe the brand identity yet fits all the needs of a chain restaurant brand. So we abstract the impression of coconut tree into 8 different metal leaf. We planted 475 of them into the space.The space turned into an impressive "fantasy forest".
- Inspiration
- The restaurant serves special made chicken coconut water hot pot.Unlike the popular super spicy food in China now days, coconut chicken is mild and refreshing, the soup tastes like a sweet spring.So we've got the concept of spring in the coconut tree forest.Thanks the internet, We were able to do the research of the space identity about the "coconut chicken" restaurant category in all the China major cities.We must come up with something that's remarkable and good for a chain restaurant to expand.
- Image Credits
- IP: FengYuan Coconut Chicken Original / COPYRIGHT: Xie Ji Dian She Ji Co.; Ltd. /IMAGE: Yang Jun Ning / PHOTO: Yang Jun Ning / SOUND: Veaceslav Draganov / VIDEO: Yang Jun Ning