Da Ya Li: A Culinary Journey Through Design

Wei Wu's Roast Duck Restaurant: A Blend of Tradition and Innovation

The restaurant's design draws inspiration from the red color, a symbol of Chinese royal architecture and a sign of the peppery taste in Sichuan cuisine. This color is presented in a visually striking manner, evoking taste memory and recalling national culture simultaneously. The core visual focus of the space is the red tree house, a super-symbol of the brand that serves as a memory point and helps to create a better spreading effect, allowing locals to gain a new understanding of Beijing cuisine.

What sets Da Ya Li apart is its unique design properties. The tree house, made of rattan, is a symbol of childhood dreams and represents the pursuit of the heart of a child. The rattan forms undulating shapes, weaving a beautiful vision that evokes the most rustic and authentic memories of the diners. The cool smoky black antique brick walls and floor tiles balance the warm red, achieving a delicate balance between color and material temperature.

The realization of this design involved a meticulous process. The most highlighted part, the tree house, was made from rattan. Like other raw materials such as bricks and wood, the solid weave pattern slowly rises from the entrance of the staircase and eventually extends to the seats. The rattan used for wall decoration, the tree house, and the door panels are the same, but with different handling methods.

The design was not without its challenges. The first was the aging problem of an old brand, and the second was how to better integrate into the local Sichuan culture as a Beijing cuisine. However, through a "subversive" spatial processing technique and the use of "visual symbols" in the space, these challenges were successfully overcome.

Da Ya Li's design has not gone unnoticed. It was awarded the Golden A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2021, a prestigious accolade granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom. The award is a testament to the restaurant's extraordinary excellence and significant impact on the world with its desirable characteristics.