Fine Café is located in a traditional Hutong area near Gong Wang Fu, a prince’s mansion of the Qing Dynasty. In this renovation project, the architects intend to highlight the contrast between history and modern life, and between traditional Beijing architecture and European style.
Fine咖啡位于北京西城区柳荫街,临近恭王府,由胡同旧宅改造而成。设计师希望咖啡馆既能融入周边传统住宅区的环境,又能突出传统与现代元素的冲突,老北京建筑与欧式风格的反差。
Like many old residences in Beijing, the building is dug on level ground, descending about one metre. To take advantage of this extra space, a loft is built to divide the café into a lower space dominated by traditional Chinese style and an upper one by European elements.
利用原老宅地面下挖所产生的高度, 设计师用loft将咖啡馆分为两层,下层以老北京传统风格为主,上层则以欧式元素为主。
The first floor is furnished with low wood tables and stools specially designed to recreate the traditional Hutong lifestyle. The tables are all manually polished so as to preserve the texture of the wood. Against the traditional furniture is the customer-made terrazzo, the dark green marble aggregates in which echoes the same colour extensively used in the café.
第一层采用木制桌椅,均经手工打磨,以保留木头的肌理。定制的低桌及矮凳,使顾客能够体验传统的胡同生活方式。地面则为充满现代感的水磨石,特制的图案中加入了大块墨绿色大理石骨料,与咖啡馆的主色调墨绿色相呼应。
On their way to the second floor, customers will pass by a historical archway of grey bricks. This was not in the original design. When realizing that the load-bearing arch could not be demolished, the architects decided to preserve it so that the café blends with the environment, for the grey bricks are widely used in the surrounding Hutong area. Embedded in a shop serving coffee and pancakes, the arch gives quite a surprising effect.
连接上下层的楼梯转角处,有一传统青 砖拱门格外显眼。这本不在最初的设计方案中,但设计师在现场发现老宅里的承重拱门无法拆除后,决定予以保留。青砖广泛用于老北京胡同建筑,保留的拱门使得咖啡馆的周围环境在内部得到了延伸,又与其现代元素形成了惊喜而有趣的对比。
The atmosphere upstairs is entirely different. With the Art Deco rebar and the antique European furniture, one might feel like sitting in a terrace in Paris.
二层风格截然不同,采用Art Deco风格的钢筋和19世纪古董欧式椅子,让顾客仿佛置身巴黎露台品味咖啡。而木制地板与保留的屋顶木梁,又与一层的风格有机融合。
Wood steps are installed as both sitting places and stairs leading to the French windows. In summer and autumn, the windows can be opened so that the interior of the café extends to the exterior. The split-level design, reinforced by multiple decorative mirrors, creates a complex, yet open and communicative space.
因咖啡馆地面与室外地面有近一米落差,设计师设计了木制台阶连接通向街面的落地窗,即是台阶,同时也是座位。落地窗到了夏秋天可以上推打开,与街面空间连通;店内多处安装了装饰镜,使空间得到延展。整个咖啡馆空间层次丰富,且互相联通,创造了一个开放灵活的环境,为顾客与商家,顾客与顾客之间的交流提供便利。