© Shape in photography
At the beginning of the project, it was determined to create a restaurant space based on Michelin standards, and the design team also had close and in-depth communication with the chef, and after fully and accurately understanding the procedures, rhythm and culture of his work, a restaurant floor plan established with an open kitchen as the core of the space was naturally outlined, and the design not only hoped to help the creative chef team further optimize efficiency, but also create a more meaningful and stimulating working environment for the chefs.
Thanks to A. ardon for sharing the gooood
Affinité is a high-end French restaurant located in the Shenzhen Sea World Culture and Arts Center, strategically located by the mountains and the sea.
▲The dining area © by the mountains and the sea is shaped by photography
The "three hares" pattern used in Affinité's original brand logo design is derived from the murals of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. Three rabbits chase each other in a cycle, each of which seems to have complete ears, but in fact shares with each other, forming a perfect cycle, implying the flow of time, the cycle of life and the harmony and unity of the universe. After thousands of years of inheritance, it has become a symbol of endless and harmonious coexistence, just as the core of the brand of Affinité also hopes to present the cultural core of the cycle between nature, life and art. The best art is the result of human beings using their own wisdom to depict and transform nature, and the same is true of the best food. Good ingredients are gifts from nature, and the best cooking skills are to bring out the original taste of food and achieve a unique experience. The same is true for the inspiration for the design of YOFOTO's space, everything is carved out of nature, nature's magic of materials, time's polishing of materials, and the ability of artists and craftsmen act on the most natural materials, fully demonstrating the essential beauty, and finally presenting an art space that is perfectly integrated with food.
▲ The exterior of © the restaurant is in the form of photography
01 Viewing relationship in space
As the first local chef in mainland China to win a star in the field of traditional French cuisine, Bill has embarked on a new journey at Affinité Sansheng, which is also a new challenge for his own career. As a chef who has always adhered to fusion and innovation within the framework of authentic French cuisine, Bill will bring an understanding of local ingredients and flavours to Affinité, while flexibly incorporating Japanese and Southeast Asian flavours. Therefore, in the design of the space, we also try to break through the proper meaning of a high-end restaurant, emphasizing the emotional value of recovering the connection between man and nature.
▲The first floor door is © in the shape of photography
At the beginning of the project, it was determined to create a restaurant space based on Michelin standards, and the design team also had close and in-depth communication with the chef, and after fully and accurately understanding the procedures, rhythm and culture of his work, a restaurant floor plan established with an open kitchen as the core of the space was naturally outlined, and the design not only hoped to help the creative chef team further optimize efficiency, but also create a more meaningful and stimulating working environment for the chefs.
▲ The entrance walkway © on the first floor is in the shape of photography
▲ Entrance © shape in photography
All decorations will inevitably lag behind the times, so the space design of Sunshine adopts the most essential method, abandoning excessive decorative traces, and only maximizing the space itself around the natural scenery and natural things. The restaurant is spacious, with only a few classic Doric pillar-like pillars that pay homage to the European roots of authentic French cuisine. The staggered up and down of the sunken height difference makes the open kitchen feel like a stage, where the chefs stop and shuttle between the workbenches, and the busy figures of various characters evolve into a vivid theatrical scene.
▲ The kitchen workbench © is in the shape of photography
▲ Open kitchen © shape in photography
In order to perfectly represent this scene, the traditional kitchen equipment has been optimised as a whole, and the original conspicuous drainage system, cold and hard metal worktops, and technical features such as heating lamps have been redesigned. Visually and seamlessly blend the kitchen area with the spatial aesthetics of the entire dining room. The vertical glass curtain wall that surrounds the dining space is conceived as a light, transparent silhouette that connects to the vast mountain and sea views, as if framed and embedded in the interior space, forming an important background color for dining. Day and night, the scenery that surrounds the dining area creates a complex sensory experience that changes over time with a variety of culinary offerings.
▲ Dining area view © in the form of photography
02 Narrative relationship between materials
Affinité Sansheng, surrounded by art, embodies the borrowing, shaping and sublimation of nature by human beings, and the food becomes a masterpiece that depicts and transforms the beauty of nature. The materials in each place have a natural and destined fate - unlike most space design methods, it is not to find suitable materials after completing the entire space design, but after the design is basically completed, after concentrating on finding these materials that seem to have their own personality for a long time, the local design of the space is adjusted in reverse according to the characteristics of the materials, and the whole design process is also a cyclic complementarity between designers and materials. The space is a depiction and transcription of nature's magic, as if in a piece of natural relics, a whole new city of gastronomy is printed with modern design language. They are not only an important part of the decoration and space of the surface, but also the most tense part of the narrative of Affinité's three lives.
▲ Overview © of the daytime view of the restaurant The shape is in photography
▲Looking at the kitchen © from the dining room is in the shape of photography
At the entrance, there is an art installation of an entire ancient tree suspended overhead, as if you have broken into a fragment of an ancient forest ruins, this deconstructed tree comes from the three main beams that happened to be obtained in the old goods market, and if you look closely, you can also see the mortise and tenon joints left over from the important load-bearing structure of ancient buildings, which were once taken from thousands of years ago, and now return to the form of trees after deconstruction and combination. The background wall of the bar is also made of thrift market, and the old wooden planks with mottled traces have been polished to retell the story of time in the space.
▲The log installation © in the aisle at the entrance is in the shape of a photograph
▲ The installation is partially © shaped in photography
▲ The bar counter © is in the form of photography
▲ Daylight © shape in photography
The worktop of the open kitchen is wrapped in black granite, and the natural concave and convex texture of the surface also forms a primitive texture, with brass rabbit ears to connect the two different materials, and the contrast between rough and delicate materials is also a metaphor for the long-term wrestling process between man and nature. The wall is made of warm gray stone on the whole side, and this batch of rough stones happens to be accompanied by natural crystals, and the original stones are cut out of appropriate thickness, and the walls are equipped with exclusive lights, so that the stone itself is thoroughly expressed, and the ghost light is revealed from the crystals associated with the stone.
▲ The surface details © of the stone are shaped in photography
▲ Custom metal connectors © shaped in photography
The designer was fortunate to find a block with rich geodes and crystal clusters, which were cut according to the designed proportions and turned into natural art installations in the two boxes, with the geometric ceiling made of GRC and the natural stone texture wall as the wall decoration, so that the two boxes also have a natural cave-like texture.
▲The interior of © the private room is in the shape of photography
As the night gradually falls, the precious blue moment arrives, and as the whole interior is darkened, the bright light on the stone, like a faint candle flame, flickering but warm, sets off the atmosphere of the whole venue, and also gives the whole space a new life. As people quietly enjoy their food, they are immersed in an aesthetic experience that transcends the everyday.
▲ Blue Moment © is in photography
03 Sequence relationships on the streamline
In order to create a sense of ritual when entering, people walk through the entrance of the first floor under the guidance of a staff member into a narrow corridor that has been compressed over the width. In this transitional space, people's five senses will be disconnected from the real world in a dark environment, and when they take the elevator to the second floor with the lights deliberately down, the vision of regaining light and other sensory experiences will be magnified several times as the elevator door opens. A whole surface of the warm, natural rough stone with natural traces appears in front of you, and the metal carved Affinité logo is embedded in it like a family totem, and the concise form collides with the natural stone with new power.
▲ Sculpture © in photography
When you're done eating, get off the elevator again and you'll be able to access Affinité's derivative lifestyle retail space, Everything. The name comes from the ancient Chinese philosophical classic Tao Te Ching, "Tao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things." "In a broader sense, it is also a manifestation of the natural world and the social order of man.
▲ The translucent wall © is in the shape of photography
Affinité's bread, handmade utensils and other lifestyle-related products will be sold to the general public. The door and ceiling continue the concept of the cave in the space, and the interior uses terracotta bricks of the same color and different color grades through random staggered collage combinations to form color and texture changes in the plane, with prop racks made of dark brown old wood, creating a sense of closeness to the life sundries shop that can be walked in at will on the streets of France, and has also become the attention and connection with daily life under the Affinité brand.
▲The interior of © the retail store is in photography
Affinité is not just a restaurant, but also a philosophy, a philosophical practice on how to find harmony with nature in modern society, how to discover the beauty of art in daily life, and finally achieve the ideal state of perfect integration between the mind and nature, art and life.
▲ The exterior of © the restaurant is in the form of photography
Project drawings
▲ Spatial Relations © A. ardon
▲1F floor plan - A ©. ardon
▲2F floor plan - Sansheng © A. ardon
Project Name: Sunshine Project Type: High-end French Restaurant Designer: A. ardon Addo Joint Design Contact Email: [email protected] Project Design: 2023.5 Year of Completion: 2024.3 Design Team: Yu Mingmin, Wang Rentao, Tang Xingqi, Chen Jie, Wen Zhihong, Nie Chengxu, Yuan Meilun, Zeng RanProject Address: Shenzhen Sea World Culture and Art Center Construction Area: 507㎡ Photography Copyright: Shape in Photography, A.ardon Construction Unit: Xiamen Yuhua Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd. Art Consultant: Yang Shenglin, Bai Yushi Lighting Design: Lightlinks International Limited Client: Shenzhen Yuanshi Brand Management Co., Ltd. Material: Fir old wood plank, log installation, art paint, brass products, Angela black marble, agarwood beige marble, fish belly gray marble brand: Chengdu Yuanshe Culture Communication Co., Ltd., Zhenzang Wood, Heyi stainless steel, Shuitou stone