Esther Mu's An Villa Aesthetics Pavilion: A Harmonious Blend of Nature and Art

Winner of the Golden A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2022

The An Villa Aesthetics Pavilion, designed by Esther Mu, is a private club that extends Shaoxing’s historical and cultural endowments and natural context. The project, which began in July 2021 and was completed in December of the same year, is a testament to the transformative power of design and artistic expressions. The pavilion's design is inspired by the natural, artistic, and retro elements of its environment, creating a space that is both approachable and in harmony with its surroundings.

One of the unique properties of this design is its ability to weaken the commercial and marketing purposes of the project. Instead, it focuses on creating an inclusive spatial experience that evokes a strong emotional resonance in a warm and silent way. This is achieved through the careful use of natural light, which penetrates the "carved" grille ceiling, creating enframed views with changing shadows and producing a tranquil ambiance where time seems to stand still.

The pavilion is also a platform for local artists, with their works serving as the spiritual clues of each space. Subtly-designed artistic elements, such as the “rain” ripples on the marble, the “moon shadow” moving on the water surface, and the “iron ship” that represents the collision and integration of tradition and modernity, reveal the pursuit of nature and stimulate contemporary aesthetic reflection through concise expressions.

Despite the tranquil and natural environment with luxuriant plants, the project presented several design challenges. The building is enclosed by dark gray grilles and blended with elegant and simple aesthetic images, as if it opens the door of time travel, through which people enter a serene, poetic world. Waterscape, moss, and trees form natural, vigorous sculptures, creating a realm beyond reality, which is based on reality, but is richer, broader, more profound, closer to eternal beauty, and infinite in space and time dimensions.

The An Villa Aesthetics Pavilion is a testament to Esther Mu's ability to transform naturalistic oriental sentiments into contemporary life aesthetics through design and artistic expressions. The design links up the scale and depth of the city’s context, and conveys positive and sustainable values in the flashy and trend-chasing commercial market. This Design was awarded Golden in A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2022, a testament to its marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creation that reflects the designer's prodigy and wisdom.