Zolaism Café, Qinhuangdao, China

On Our Radar: Faux rock formations define the space, which is flooded with natural light

Published

1 year ago

May 18, 2022

Carly Hagedon VMSD May 2022 Issue

SITUATED IN THE POPULAR seaside resort community Aranya in the city of Qinhuangdao, China, the dessert brand Zolaism recently debuted a jaw-dropping café, inspired by the natural beauty of the mountains and the sea. The larger-than-life rocks found throughout – made from poured GRC (glass-reinforced concrete) – were meant to feel original to the space. Some of the rocks help divide the café into different zones and others house private seating areas. Instead of using 3-D modeling to create them, the design team from Blue Architecture (Beijing) experimented with handmade models, starting with foam and eventually progressing to clay, until they felt the faux rock formations looked as close to nature as possible. Bathed in natural light, this destination creates a true escape. —CH

PHOTO GALLERY (24 IMAGES)
📷: Eiichi Kano

click to Comment(Comment)

Up Next

Nourish + Bloom Market Opens New Concept in a Food Desert

Don't Miss

Ruby Red’s BBQ Cooks Up a Country-Western Aesthetic

Carly Hagedon

Carly Hagedon is the Editor-in-Chief of VMSD magazine. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where she studied Journalism—Magazine Writing and American history. She also currently serves as a board member for the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).

Embracing Whole-Brained Thinking in the Design Journey

Strategy needs creative, and creative needs strategy—yep, having both is really the only way of unifying all disciplines with a common vernacular with an eye toward building a strong creative vision that is foundational to the processes. Hear from Bevan Bloemendaal, former VP, Global Environments & Creative Services at Timberland, how to connect the dots between disciplines, claiming and creating a clear differentiation for the brand and ensuring that any asset (experience, product, ad, store, office, home, video, game) is created with intention.