Bo Zhou's inspiration for the Moli Landscape Restaurant stemmed from the desire to create a spiritual echo in a commercial space. The design draws on the oriental and contemporary characteristics of landscapes, shaping a business environment that maintains the economic benefits of the location while offering a unique aesthetic experience. The result is a restaurant that feels like a natural extension of the surrounding mountains and rivers.
What sets Moli Landscape Restaurant apart from other commercial spaces is its unique architectural features. The restaurant boasts high skip-floor and floor-to-ceiling lighting, allowing sunlight, wind, and air to flow freely. The roof lines are designed in a large cantilever style, gradually declining with the natural slope, which gives guests the feeling of sitting in the mountains, appreciating the wild beauty of nature.
The restaurant's main facade is left blank, creating an open cave. This design choice provides guests with a poetic ambiance as they wander along the stream amidst shifting lights and shadows. As they ascend the stairs, they are treated to a broader horizon, and from the high dining room, they can enjoy changing views at different times.
The Moli Landscape Restaurant was realized using a variety of materials, including stainless steel, art paint, silver finishes, and luxury stones. The project, completed in December 2020, covers an area of 537 square meters. The design process involved extensive research into the natural world, with the designer stating, "The most precious beauty in the world is the image of nature."
The restaurant's design faced several challenges, including the need to create a space that resembled a mountain without being a literal interpretation. Bo Zhou succeeded in presenting a human sentiment towards nature and the pursuit of the spiritual world through oriental philosophy. The design combines business mood, oriental aesthetic, and modern life, creating a dialogue with customers and demonstrating the quality and style of the space.
The Moli Landscape Restaurant's unique design has not gone unnoticed. It was awarded the Golden A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2023, a prestigious accolade granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom. This recognition underscores the restaurant's contribution to advancing art, design, and technology, and its extraordinary excellence in embodying desirable characteristics.
Project Designers: Bo Zhou
Image Credits: Photographer Tan Xiao, TOPIA
Project Team Members: Bo Zhou
Project Name: Moli Landscape
Project Client: Bo Zhou