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The outlook of CHA TALK is quite special. The colors Container and water are two
don’t look inharmonious with the surrounding old houses, but keys for tea. Containers made of
different materials can fit
the abstract structure breaks the routine. Many guests thought
different types of tea. And hard
the design refers to water, combined with the wind element in
water cannot brew “soft” tea.
the building across the street. As Zha explained, the three-floor
geometric structure is actually imitating a roof, making it look
the same from different perspectives. The material choice is
also special. During the daytime, the inner side cannot be peeked,
while at night, the warm light shows up, creating an oriental
beauty of shadow and light. To add modernity in the old house,
it is necessary to compromise to the imperfection of the build-
ing, which also caused difficulty for transforming. For example,
repairing the roof during rainy days has been a common task,
but the warmth and humanity of the old houses can make us
forget such flaws.

Introspection of “Tea Ladies”

Before the launch of the tea lounge, Zha and Yan Yan
operated Sihan Tea House, a studio more self-oriented.
After 8 years of accumulation, CHA TALK became a pos-
sibility. The style and concept of the space all reflect the
growth of the 2 “tea ladies”. Since last November, when
CHA TALK first opened, it has attracted guests of different
age. To make a good presentation, Zha and Yan Yan keep a
habit of introspection, avoiding forgetting their original
inspiration. No matter how great the business is, they both
stay calm to work on seasonal drinks and desserts, choose
high-quality tea, keep the space tidy and decorate the lush
plants in summer... In short, life aesthetics. If the 2 “tea
ladies” don’t show up in the space, they are very likely to
go to other stores. However, they barely visit other tea
rooms, and instead visite many other stores to get interest-
ing new ideas, setting no limit for themselves. For example,
a cup of coffee and a look at store design can inspire them.
“Tea is very appealing because it is a large cultural contain-
er including equipment, water, incense, flower, instrument
and others. However, it can go back to our daily life and
become a common, casual drink.”
Zha XiaoWen CHA TALK wishes to open a new window
for more people through relaxing atmosphere, introducing
we came into the tea room, the raindrops came down through some concepts of drinking tea. It aims to remove unease and
the roof. Zha casually took out a bottle to hold the water, while encourages sincere communication, relaxation or meditation,
telling us how the store was designed. Behind the similar look avoiding the waste of time. Zha believes our life is like a huge
of CHA TALK and Ceremorning Random Play is the same design wheel, some slow and some fast. It’s okay to look in the
and construction team. Zha is close to Su Jie and Liu Xin in AIR rearview mirror sometimes, but the most important thing is
Architects, a USA-based Studio, and communicated online from to look forward. Their life is full of plans and they tend to
design to implementation. The long distance didn’t prove an make a change every few months. Maybe 8 years later, they
obstacle for communication and understanding. The design would make a new plan for the future, but one thing will
blended modernity and tradition, just in line with the combi- remain unchanged: their original inspiration for tea – be
nation of tea lounge and private tea rooms. healthy, be more meaningful.

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