According to the popular Chinese legend, the discovery of tea was a wonderful coincidence attributed to the Chinese Emperor Sheng Nung, who happened to be resting under the shadows of a wild tree when a light breeze blew a few leafs off the branches and into a bowl of boiling water nearby creating an aromatic infusion which made the Emperor decide to try it and be captivated by its flavour.
Camelia Tea Room is our interpretation of such facts and it seeks to generate a multi-sensorial experience through design.
The space was originally the meeting point for family and friends who used to drink tea, which added a load of symbolism for the proposal. The interior space is divided in two and connected through an outdoor terrace. When you first enter, you are greeted by a wall and a section of a water feature that goes on through the other side, underneath the wall which hides most of what happens behind it. The outdoor space - the terrace - works as a connection between both interiors and it seeks for the visitors to move around and interact freely with the surrounding: furniture, plants and an arch of light. Finally, the main space which ends the intervention, contains the rest of the water feature, lined with rusty metal sheets interrupted to generate a small wooded bench placed underneath the top of an upside down tree which crowns the space.
The composition of space is more than a mix con colors, shapes and textures. It is an experience where the senses lead the way, the story gives meaning to the space and design is the tool to materialize it.
This intervention is part of Casa Besign 2019.
