by Dhwani ShanghviPublished on : Sep 09, 2022
The late night food streets of Shantou, China are a bustling affair, with open stalls under tents and wooden benches for seating. For the people of this prefecture-level city, where late night second dinners are part of the food culture, these busy streets, and fast-food restaurants are primary options to indulge in. The Late Night Kitchen provides an alternative experience to this intense and cursory urban encounter, in a space that is not only meditative but also deliberate.
Chinese architect Ye Hui, of JinGu Phoenix Space Planning Organization (JG Phoenix), has conceptualised the space in keeping with the ideology of the design agency - whose name is in fact a portmanteau of the Mandarin 'today' (Jin) and 'past' (Gu). This marriage of 'western logic' and 'oriental humanism' is manifested through a cohesive use of robust materials - with soft textures, endemic elements, symbolic colours and a palliative ambience. Designed with the aim of creating an introspective environment, away from the hustle of urban life, the interior design emulates a clichéd imagination of tranquillity.
A large deep red, street-facing entrance door leads to a dim corridor with walls on both sides. This “cold alley” - seen in traditional Lingnan architecture, may not have climatic implications like its ancient counterpart, but it alludes to a nostalgia for the oriental nonetheless.
Four separate dining areas are punctuated at varying intervals of the corridor, the largest of which overlooks an interior landscape garden. The dining areas are separated from the corridor through the use of gold and silver screens, visually breaking off any connection with the passage beyond, without actually touching the ceiling. The round serving tables are designed to accommodate a shared food culture, ideal for the hotpot meals served at the restaurant. Hierarchically, the corridor and its inscribed dining areas form the core of the interior spaces, while a staircase stands almost isolated, separated from the core by a stone landscape design. On a completely different axis, to the northwest lie the service areas and toilets, the entrance for which is marked by a rock installation.
On the first floor, the interstitial space shrinks to a lobby and a single corridor with rooms on both sides. Two shared dining rooms of varied-sized tables, a tea room, and two private rooms with a lounge make up the core of this floor. Like the floor below, the service areas and toilets are segregated from the programmatic core of this hospitality design project.
The moonlight-like ambience of the space is a result of chiaroscuro in three-dimensional space. Diffused lighting enhances the quintessential Chinese red (on walls as well as loose furniture) that is coupled with gold and silver screens. The light never directly strikes any surface but instead highlights spatial as well as ornamental features, like plants, chairs, cabinets, reflective wall surfaces, rock sculptures, basins, and staircases. Backlighting and cove lighting are ubiquitous features, feeding into an exaggerated expression of contemplation.
Travel culture in the East has often emphasised on the experience of the journey over the appeal of the destination. The sixth century Chinese philosopher Loa Tzu said: "A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving” - stressing the mishaps of living in the future. And the Buddha said, "It is better to travel well than to arrive". While his message has spiritual connotations, the philosophy is widely appropriated to justify spatial expressions of transit spaces. The corridors perhaps allude to this experience of the journey. Wrapping itself around the dining areas from three sides, this corridor facilitates numerous confrontations with nature - through the use of not just natural materials like stone and wooden textures, but also natural elements like rocks, plants, water and light. A stone landscape next to the staircase creates a visual barrier; pots, wooden sculptures and wall lamps are representative of Chinese crafts; and a natural interior landscape at the end of the corridor is reminiscent of traditional Chinese gardens. The corridor space can indeed be seen as a metaphorical passage between today and the past!
Name: Late Night Kitchen Location: 38 Zhucheng Road, Zhugang New Town, Shantou, Guangdong Area: 605 sqm Completion Time: April 10, 2022 Design Firm: JG PHOENIX Chief Designer: Ye Hui Participating Designers: :Chen Jian, Lin Weibin, Chen Xuexian, Cai Jikun Furnishings Designer: Zeng Dongxu
Dhwani is an architect and writer, and currently teaches at Balwant Sheth School of Architecture, NMIMS. She has a Masters' degree in Theory and Design from CEPT University and an MA in Women's Studies. She aims to incorporate the gender question in her readings of architecture and cities. She lives in Mumbai with her partner and two cats.
Dhwani is an architect and writer, and currently teaches at Balwant Sheth School of Architecture, NMIMS. She has a Masters' degree in Theory and Design from CEPT University and an MA in Women's Studies. She aims to incorporate the gender question in her readings of architecture and cities. She lives in Mumbai with her partner and two cats.
by Sunena V Maju Sep 09, 2022
Domenic Lippa, partner at Pentagram, speaks with STIR about the significance of the colours used and dives into the special limited edition collector's book celebrating 20 years of LDF.
For London Design Festival 2022, the Dutch designer will be juxtaposing the grey commotion of St Giles with the polychromatic vibrance of an urban furniture collection.
The UK-based creative agency helmed by Benjamin Hubert unveils an e-bike concept that is a pragmatic union of performance-driven design and a refined aesthetic.
Writing with metal: Stilform Aeon, an elegant, sustainable pencil in aluminium, titanium, brass and magnesium with multiple tips, edifies the conventional wooden-graphite pencil.
by Sunena V Maju Aug 03, 2022
get regular updates SIGN UP
© Copyright 2019-2022 STIR Design Private Limited. All rights reserved.
Or you can join with
Please confirm your email address and we'll send you a link to reset your password
with us and you can:
All your bookmarks will be available across all your devices from anywhere on the globe.
Or you can join with
Your preferences have been successfully saved to your profile.
Please select your profession for an enhanced experience.
Tap on things that interests you.
Select the Conversation Category you would like to watch
Please enter your details and click submit.