Transformation of a Tiny

The project is an attempt at sustainable design. HHC Design Studio transformed an abandoned storeroom in its office into a tea room. The original space was on a mezzanine under the staircase, which was cramped and had a low ceiling of merely 1.7m, making it a "forgotten corner" in the workplace. By bringing in old items such as wooden window panels recycled from old buildings, the design team activated the forgotten space and also gave new life to traditional objects that carry memories and cultural value.



The transformation of the former storeroom into a tea room takes Zen in Oriental culture as the theme, and the layout of the room refers to the philosophy of Feng Shui — environmental psychology originated in ancient China. The modern space is transformed into a traditional one through the indoor layout, which creates a poetic scene and atmosphere. The transformed space is not only a tea room, but also a multifunctional place for meditation, reception, meeting and rest and an audio-video room.



The tea room uses light to define the space. It is enclosed by traditional Chinese wooden window panels, which produce varied light and shadow effects and hence enrich the space. The tea room returns to the scale of Oriental traditional space. The use of tatami allows for the communication between the host and guests in the traditional Oriental posture of sitting on the floor, which turns the low space into a suitable, pleasant communication place. The multi-purpose furniture pieces brought into the tea room makes the space quite flexible. The projector screen not only provides projection function, but also serves as a flexible partition for the space.