Teehaus Liu in Bad Ragaz

Location: Maienfelderstrasse 5, 7310 Bad Ragaz

Type: interior built-out
Year: 2022

Area: 80 sqm2

Client: Familie Liu
Services: Design / planing
Branding & Graphic Design: Bienvenue Studios

Website: https://teehausliu.com/


We would like to connect the "material world" and the "immaterial world" by designing a tea room, the most important space for tea culture activities.

Bad Ragaz is a city famous for its hot springs, and this tea room project is located in the heart of Bad Ragaz, next to the hot spring hotel. Lu Yu (733–804), the author of "The Book of Tea" in the Tang Dynasty, said, "First, water from the mountain, second, water from the river, third, water from the well." (山水上，江水中，井水下) Water is essential in both the spa and the tea room as a common resource. We took this as the starting point for the design and tried to understand the meaning of water through architectural form.

In the tea room project in Bad Ragaz, we tried to explore combining Chinese and Japanese tea spaces. The Chinese Gongfu Cha area locates close to the main window, just as the Chinese like to sit around for dinner and tea; a sizeable curved table and chairs define the connection between the host and guest and create a family atmosphere where it is open and welcoming. The Japanese tea room design makes a relatively closed space. The area of eight tatami mats allows any Japanese tea ceremony to be served in all seasons. And this space, although set back and relatively intimate, plays a vital role in the tea room's overall flow and the space division. At night, the light penetrates through the shoji doors like a lantern, illuminating passers-by. By keeping a certain distance from daily life, this space creates a more Zen spiritual world for all visitors.