Design firm: Aurora Design
Brand design: Visions Brand Research Institute
Construction: Rebuilding Space Lab
Photo credits: Na Xin
On the façade of Thai Zapver Gold, a Thai restaurant in the Chinese city of Kunming, the word ‘authentic’ means just what it says. It is a space for culinary and aesthetic experience, based on culture and tradition, which aims to create a sense of happiness driven by simplicity and freedom.
Along with the aromas and flavors, the methods of preparation passed down across generations, the studio Aurora Design helmed by Yang Xuewan has included a series of typical elements to generate a sense of spiritual relaxation. The traditional triangular structure of the roof in gray micro-cement, the wooden gateway at the entrance, the lush vegetation in the front courtyard, are all impressions of empathy.
Inside, the atmosphere is soft, comfortable and fresh, thanks to items that embody a vivid identity, memories of rustic and handcrafted structures, like the wooden tables, the handmade rattan, the soft cushions and wattle roofing. The alternation of private and more open areas is balanced by the presence of white drapes that function as a screen, gently dividing the spaces. But there are also walls and openings in rugged stone, where the mottled patterns suggest the effects of hammering.
A strange contrast between thickness and thinness, also visible in the private room on the second floor, reached by means of a spiral staircase with elegant forms, where a richly structured stone mosaic wall is combined with a subtle game of lights and shadows.
