fon studio transformed this house into a charming hotel hidden in the alleys of the old city of beijing, china. walking through the streets, people will discover different forms and sizes of old houses in courtyards but this hotel’s unique spatial qualities attract travelers from afar and invite them to explore the space further.

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 1
all images courtesy of fon studio

 

 

the designers were attracted by the old house’s sophisticated wooden roof structure and decided to demolish everything else, making it part of their new design. to them, keeping it will enhance the space’s visual characteristics and will give it warmth and charm. the site is located in an uncommon area in hutong with popular chinese elements decorating every corner of it.

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 2

 

 

the hotel includes 13 guest rooms arranged in a compact layout and designed minimally. the main space under the large roof becomes the core area for tourists to enter. the architects constructed an additional floor accessible with a light staircase that they placed in a relatively introverted area. the structure of the staircase naturally becomes a visual focus in the space, but its turning form and scale are still integrated into the overall atmosphere. both floors have reserved public activity spaces for guests with small corners for reading, talking, and gathering under the big roof.

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 3

 

 

respecting the original structural proportions, the architects placed reinforced columns that are connected with the roof beams. all designs were developed under the structural logic of the original old building. the main visual color palette that the architects chose is a combination of wood and dark red mixed with different gray textures.

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 4

 

 

fon studio’s main goal was to deconstruct and rebuild the space in a way that allows visitors to be curious about the rich and complex hutong living space. they wanted people to enter this place to experience the various forms and textures. their aim was to allow visitors to experience the traces of growth from the old house as they walk from one space to another.

aged wooden roof structure + touches of dark red decorate this hidden hotel in beijing, china

aged wooden roof structure + touches of dark red decorate this hidden hotel in beijing, china

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 5

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 6

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 7

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 8

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 9

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 10

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 11

fon studio abstracts peoples feelings in the alley creating a simple and delicate space 12

aged wooden roof structure + touches of dark red decorate this hidden hotel in beijing, china

 

 

project info:

name: well well well hotel renovation

architects: jin boan, li hongzhen, luo shuanghua, song yuanyuan or fon studio

location: zhengjue hutong, dongcheng district, beijing, china

client: ttg

area: 800 sqm (8611.13 sqft)

 

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: yasmina karam | designboom