Zhao Zhao Tea Lounge

The owner, with more than 30 years of experience as he has been immersed in tea culture since childhood, wants to share the wonderful Taiwanese tea with more diverse groups of people in different ways. That’s why he came up with the idea of having a tea appreciation space where Taiwanese tea culture can extend its roots.

Photography by © Hey! Cheese

Taking into consideration of the owner’s intention, we propose to set up tea roasting area in the first floor, where guests would be enticed by the fragrance as they observe master tea-making. There is a tea place right next to the roasting area, as guests can rest amid lingering smell of charcoal baking and tea. To introduce more nature into the space, we open up the once-closed backyard and plant more trees in front and behind the house. Sipping a cup of tea here would then become a ceremony of pampering the five senses, from beautiful sights to pleasant experiences of taste, touch, sound and smell.

Photography by © Hey! Cheese

“Change” is the theme of interior design here, reflecting the experiences in high-altitude tea gardens, where the clouds, fogs, lights and shadows, fauna and flora are always pure albeit everchanging. Visitors are here to indulge the peace of mind and enriching feelings.On the old walls, we leverage hand craftsmanship of “polishing”, “carving” and “knocking” to mimic different textures to approach nature; the walls are mottled, uneven, and filled with pores, preserving the marks of time with visual and tactile triggers.

With the sun and the air flowing in through the big windows, the walls of various textures show various quality and feelings as if “changeable”. It’s a salute to nature, revealing the essence of the old house— a bare space without over decoration.

Photography by © Hey! Cheese

Project Info:
Architects: Soar Design Studio
Location: Taiwan (ROC)
Project Year: 2019
Photographs: Hey! Cheese
Manufacturers: Aluflex, Switzerland, EVJ lantern Art, TAIWAN TOTO CO.,LTD.