Studio Ramoprimo based its design for the interior of this Beijing bar on brick walls traditionally found in Italian wine cellars (+ slideshow).
Named BuonaBocca, the bar was intended by the Beijing-based design studio aimed to combine the atmosphere of a traditional winery with contemporary elements, including sculptural lighting and vibrant colours.
The bar's most noticeable features are the bricks arranged in chevron patterns across the walls. These provide decoration, but in one place also function as a wine rack.
To create these, the studio used the grey bricks typical of Hutongs – the warrens of narrow streets and traditional courtyard housing commonly found in Beijing. They sliced off the corners off these, before painting them in both white and other colours.
"The design revolves around the use of the brick as central decorative element," said Studio Ramoprimo. "Bricks are in fact the link between the Italian wine culture and China."
"In Italy they are widely used to define the atmosphere of wine related bars and cellars," they added. "In Beijing they are the most common construction element the ancient city centre is made of."
The clients also asked the team to reference the name BuonaBocca – which translates to Good Mouth – in their design, through references to both food and eroticism.
One way they achieved this was by adding mouth motifs to the custom-made wallpaper inside the bar and on the building's facade.
They also added a yellow-coloured resin floor. "Yellow is a colour used to represent love or romance in China, just as red colour does in the west," said the team.
The floor plan is divided into three sections: a high table with stools that forms a wine cellar corner, a dining area furnished with simple chairs and tables, and a lounge area with sofas on an elevated platform facing the street.
Additional seating is located across the bar counter, which features a white sculptural box made from solid-surface material Corian.
Seating throughout the bar is in shades of white, grey and black. Chairs, stools and sofas legs are made of light iron square profiles, assembled by local artisans to match the black iron elements on the walls. Tables are constructed from reclaimed wood.
Two geometric light fixtures hang above the main area, based on festive lighting structures found along main roads during festivals and celebrations in the south of Italy.
"They aim to recreate evocative elements for those gaudy feelings of surprise and festivity," said the studio.
"At night, when dimmed low, they turn the ceiling into a romantic sky dotted with stars, while during the day they introduce a sense of spatial tension by imposing their geometric and contemporary presence."
Photography is by Studio Ramoprimo, unless stated otherwise.
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