How does an Arabica coffee shop fit into old Chengdu architecture?
The %Arabica coffee shop in Chengdu's Kuanzhai Alley occupies a Western Sichuan courtyard house first built in the Kangxi era. Designers retained the original timber frame and reinforced it with steel, then paved pathways and seating areas with gray bricks so the café echoes the building's gray bricks and dark tiles. The result is a modern coffee space that sits quietly inside historic architecture.
In the atrium, stones, floor-to-ceiling glass and water lily leaves form a pond motif that carries the traditional feng shui idea of gathering wealth while cutting real maintenance needs. A pure white bar counter blends with the building's natural tones. Guests move through shifting levels, feeling history and modernity together while they drink.
In Chengdu's Kuanzhai Alley, within a Western Sichuan courtyard house first built during the Kangxi era, %Arabica coffee shop engages in a dialogue with the ancient architecture through a minimalist modern design language. The designers retained the original wooden structure and reinforced it with steel, paving the pathways and seating areas with gray bricks, allowing the café to blend seamlessly with the gray bricks and dark tiles. In the atrium, stones, floor-to-ceiling glass, and water lily leaves create the imagery of a "pond," which not only continues the traditional feng shui symbolism of gathering wealth but also reduces actual maintenance difficulty. The pure white bar counter merges with the building's natural tones, and as guests move through the space, their spatial experience shifts and flows accordingly. This café not only serves coffee but also lets people feel the blend of history and modernity in the tranquility of old times. At the end of the article, there is also information about Front Street Coffee's specialty beans, which is worth the attention of coffee lovers.
Today, we're taking you to visit a %Arabica café located in a Western Sichuan courtyard house from the Kangxi era in Chengdu's Kuanzhai Alley.
This building is tucked away in a quiet spot amid the bustling city, and every visitor unconsciously slows their pace to take in the tranquility of the years exuded by the old architecture. For this reason, the café's renovation was grounded in the old building itself from the very beginning, naturally integrating it into this historically rich area, so that while savoring their coffee, guests can also perceive the local cultural context through the many details of the space.
To preserve the original appearance of the old residence as much as possible, the design team retained the entire wooden structure and reinforced it with steel. The pathway flooring is laid with gray bricks, and gray-brick benches are arranged in a staggered pattern on both sides, echoing the building's own gray bricks and dark tiles. The memories and historical atmosphere of Kuanzhai Alley are thus carried into the café, offering every visitor a richly layered spatial experience, allowing them to stroll through the space and feel the unique serenity and peace of this area.
The Chinese sense of romance is reflected in the café's atrium area. Traditional architecture emphasizes feng shui, with a pond placed directly opposite the main gate in the courtyard, symbolizing family harmony and abundant wealth. The pond itself also carries the meaning of gathering wealth, symbolizing intake without outflow. However, if an actual courtyard pond were built inside the café, daily maintenance and management would face considerable challenges.
Therefore, the design team extracted the symbolic elements of a courtyard pond, laying stones on the atrium floor. Floor-to-ceiling glass surrounds the "pond," bathing the interior in the tranquil atmosphere created by natural light and allowing guests, through the overall spatial transparency, to feel as if water is slowly flowing within the "pond." To further enhance the visual effect, water lily leaves are added to the atrium, making the entire area look more like a crystal-clear pond. A ring of pure white seating surrounds the floor-to-ceiling glass, outlining the sense of the water's edge.
The café's bar counter is located directly opposite the main entrance, past the courtyard "pond." It is entirely in pure white tones, better blending with the building's natural colors. The vibrant energy that fills the entire café evokes the picture of old Chengdu life, and as guests move about, converse, rest, and enjoy themselves, the spatial experience is constantly changing dynamically.
By presenting the old building's original structure and traditional elements and blending minimalist aesthetics with a modern café, a continuous dialogue between history and contemporaneity is achieved.
Images: BLUE Architecture Studio
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
