Kooo Architects has added wooden beams to a cafe in China to form a woven lattice across the ceiling that lets in light (+ slideshow).

The Japanese studio, which also has offices in China, wanted to create a more inviting space for the customers of Xie Xie Cafe in Hangzhou.

To achieve this, they added wooden beams to the existing steel and glass roof to soften the interior.

"The original building was made of a steel structure and glass, which makes people feel pretty cold," said the architects, whose offices are now split between Tokyo and Shanghai.

"The steel was clearly not the best choice for a cafe so we think wood is best to make people feel warm and cosy."

The designers used the wooden lattice effect on half of the interior ceiling. It allows light to flood through the glass roof onto the diners below, creating the impression of an undercover terrace.

In the other half of the cafe, they used an opaque, lowered ceiling and concrete details to create a darker space.

The bar is positioned in one corner of the cafe, close to the entrance. It was created using oriented strand board and stainless steel to match the contrasting steel and wood ceiling of the cafe.

All the furniture was designed by the architecture studio, as was the lighting, except for some of the pendant lights, which came from a local market.

A slim outside area runs along the edge of the cafe, with wooden tables and chairs that face out onto the street.

The Xie Xie Cafe is situated in West Lake square, and the renovation was undertaken by the studio's Shanghai office.

Another cafe renovation in China was undertaken by design studio Office AIO, which converted a residence in Beijing into a tiny coffee shop, lining the seating area with tactile cork panels to contrast with the granite bar.