dining with children is no easy feat. shanghai-based design firm X+Living have created a family-friendly dining space meeting the needs of both children and parents by using the appropriate colors and wall patterns. ‘the design concept came from an imaginary picture,’ explain the designers, ‘where a colorful hot air balloon rises up from an ancient castle — showing a strong power that carries a new life. the rising balloon, which is the designer’s metaphor of life force, represents children’s vitality.’

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
X+Living carefully designed a functional layout which meets the needs of both parents and children
images courtesy of SHAO feng

 

 

two-dimensional expression was taken to outline the patterns on the castle, symbolizing its charm and classic, as well as a sense of history. the sharp contrast of these two patterns is more like a narrative of the relationship between parents and children. bearing such a concept in mind, X+Living carefully designed a functional layout which meets both needs. under each giant balloon, there are different kinds of pools where kids could have fun, some pools are filled with bubbles, some are with sand and some with toys.

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
under each giant balloon, there are different kinds of pools where kids could enjoy themselves

 

 

there is a crawlway that connects all the pools, through which children can craw from the first pool to the second pool. these crawlways are winding and wavy, therefore children can have fun while climbing and crawling; some climbing ladders might reach to 2 meters high and then descend to the next pool, it allows parents walk under the crawlways. the crawlways are made of transparent acrylic, so parents could look after their children while they are playing inside. 

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
while parents talk over coffee, kids can go play at their will

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
some climbing ladders might reach to 2 meters high and then descend to the next pool

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
the rising balloon, which is the designer’s metaphor of life force, represents children’s vitality, according to the designer

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
the design is a perfect combination of function and aesthetics

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
there is a crawlway that connects all the pools, through which children can craw from the first pool to the second pool

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
the crawlways are made of transparent acrylic, so parents could look after their children while they are playing inside

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
the dining area

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
details of the balloons

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
details of the seating area

parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok at the neobio kids restaurant
wall details

 

 

project info:

 

design director: li xiang
design team: ren lijiao, liu huan, justin, fan chen
design company: x+living
project location: shanghai, china
furniture: xiangcasa
project type: commercial
area: 500㎡
completion time: 2017.07
photographer: shao feng

 

 

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: lynn chaya | designboom