In the winter of 2019, Su Zao met two baristas and was commissioned to design their coffee shop by Cuihu Lake in Kunming. The most striking feature of this project is the small, standalone shop facing the street. We saw this as an opportunity to contribute to the urban street environment. © W Photography Studio
Kunming Cuihu, No. 55 Honghua Bridge, Idle Coffee © Wang Ce
Design Concept: Idle
Kunming’s urban atmosphere is leisurely, slow-paced, and comfortable, which inspired the coffee shop by Cuihu Lake to be named “Xianlai” (meaning ‘leisurely come’). The storefront itself is small, independent, and irregularly shaped, featuring an unconventional triangular floor plan.
To simplify the spatial disorder, a circular arc was introduced into the triangular layout, effectively dividing the space into two distinct areas: the customer seating area and the bar, storage, and private room.
▲ Original architecture © Vegetarian Architecture
▲ Design concept: inspired by a segment of the flavor wheel © Vegetarian Architecture
▲ Design renderings © Vegetarian Architecture
▲ Design sketch © Vegetarian Architecture
▲ Spatial composition © Vegetarian Architecture
Behind the folding wall facing the entrance hallway is the restroom, which serves both as a screen and the visual focal point of the space. © Wang Ce
The core of the design lies in reshaping the spatial layout with a half circular arc. Sharp corners on other interior walls were chamfered to align with this curved design, creating a cohesive and harmonious flow throughout the space. © Wang Ce
▲ Material details: plain clay walls, wooden doors, windows, and furniture © Long Zhiling
Along the street-facing facade, three “frames” were created: a bar frame with folding windows, a door frame, and a booth window frame. These correspond directly to the functional zones of the facade. © Wang Ce
▲ This small shop lights up the city while bringing warmth to itself © Idle Coffee
Idle Coffee
Leaving a light in the corners of the city
Warming the city’s nights and welcoming its people home
Project Information
Architectural Design: Primitive Building
Project Name: Idle Coffee
Building Area: 35 square meters
Design & Completion Year: 2019 & 2020
Photography: W Photography Studio, Wang Ce, Long Zhiling
Lead Designers: Dong Wen, Yin Xiaowen
Design Team: Du Jie, Zhao Shengchao
Client: Xianlai Cafe
Construction Team: Unprocessed Building
Location: No. 55 Honghua Bridge, Wuhua District, Kunming City, Yunnan Province
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