imbued with warm tones, this restaurant and store hub in china reflects 'antique' living

WUZHI design’s YuanGu Restaurant & Chengdu Taikooli Store 

yuangu yunjing is a hybrid commercial space hosting a store and restaurant in the taikooli shopping center of chengdu, china. led by local studio WUZHI design, the project is imbued with meditative experiences and warm accents that bring visitors closer to nature. 

the store sits on the second floor, with an entrance façade made of old wood and stone, and connects to the restaurant on the third level via a long, mysterious, and narrow staircase. the latter leads visitors up a bright and intimate courtyard that serves as the core of the restaurant, sporting bamboo, and stones as embellishments. ‘in this small yard, you can feel the wind, the rain, the passing of the four seasons, and the 24-hour movement of the sun,’ shares the design team. 

restaurant entrance | all images © dongjie ma

simple, natural + warm accents reflecting ‘antique’ lifestyle

the WUZHI design team divided the restaurant area into three parts. the first part features the kitchen, private rooms, and toilets. the second hosts the bar, yard, and dining area. finally, the third part makes up the lobby space that is relatively independent and quiet. as a focal feature, the dining space presents a water feature at the center of the seating arrangement, with floating water lily leaves exuding a sense of calm and comfort. 

when asked about the approach behind the project, WUZHI design explains that it is done in the spirit of ‘yuan’ – meaning ‘antique’ in chinese. this word recalls the simple and authentic lifestyles of past centuries. ‘simple, natural and warm; when you bring these three keywords to our design, everything becomes clear,’ concludes the team. 

waiting area exhibiting rough, warm, and natural textures

detail view of the waiting area

dining space with the bar

the lobby is a quiet and independent zone

water display with floating leaves, exuding a sense of calm while visitors dine

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project info:

name: yuangu restaurant / chengdu taikooli store
location: taikooli, chengdu, china

architecture: WUZHI design
team: shuang zhao, dongjie ma, shangyong wu, yuxuan yang
photography: dongjie ma

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom