from the chinese firm that brought maze-like libraries and a whimsical swimming pool, now x+living ventured into designing a green tea flagship store in chengdu, china. the green tea brand, zhuyeqing, commissioned a unique spatial experience in the brand?s native city. the architects based the project on the notion that the environment influences a person?s mood, and a pleasant mood makes the tea tastier and the overall retail experience more delightful. 

 
 
for the flagship store, x+living created a smooth and soft wooden landscape that represents clouds and mountains, commonly found in chinese paintings. the two symbols reference the natural origin of tea leaves and are transformed into the furniture and decorative elements of the store. while some mountains serve as display shelves, others become habitable cocoons with sofas for relaxing. some clouds produce soothing lighting effects, and others reach down almost to the ground and hold products inside. 
 
 
the curved shapes not only meet the functional requirements of the store?s display, but also complement the richness of the aesthetic composition in the space. the bulging geometries provide consumers with a variety of viewing perspectives. after fully observing the sensory consumers? needs, x+living decided to reduce the ?fixed shapes? in the space. 

 
 
through the customized wooden geometries, the needs of the store?s operation and consumer?s experience are perfectly contained. this way, the designers...