Spirited Home: A Cinema Design Inspired by Nature

CM Jao and Ken Cheung's Award-Winning Design Brings the Forest to the Cinema

The Spirited Home is a cinema design that is unlike any other. Drawing inspiration from the mesmerizing worlds created by Japanese animated film director Miyazaki Hayao, designers CM Jao and Ken Cheung have transformed a cinema into a magnificent forest. This design, which won Silver in the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2018, is a testament to the designers' creativity and innovation.

What sets the Spirited Home apart is its unique use of materials and design elements. Wood and wooden surfaces are the main materials used in this cinema, creating an atmosphere that is as lively as a forest. A Sacred Tree, created by a ceiling feature with swirling curves, stands proudly in the centre of the lobby. The mirrored surfaces of this ceiling feature depict fresh dew on leaves, reflecting the surrounding scenery. Soft beige lighting, copper mirrored stainless steel strips and aluminum strips with wood pattern combine to portray the warm shade under trees and beams of sunlight radiating from the sky.

The design of the Spirited Home is not just about aesthetics; it also enhances the cinema-going experience. The pathway to the screening houses is made up of wooden strips, with soft white lighting hidden in between gaps on the wall for clear guidance. Different colours of marbles are featured on the ceiling and floor finishing, mimicking the harmonious scenery where tree roots meet rocks. The illuminated signage shines like stars in the sky, showing the exact location of each house in this veering forest trail.

The designers have also incorporated elements of nature into the design of the screening houses. The Standard House represents a waterfall, with greyish blue and greyish green hues and rays of yellowish lighting portraying a mysterious waterfall. The LUXE House, on the other hand, represents a gorge, with dark green, lush green, purple blue and dark brown colours combining to form dimensions of a great gorge covered with moss and mist.

The Spirited Home is a testament to the creativity and innovation of designers CM Jao and Ken Cheung. It is a design that not only enhances the cinema-going experience but also pays tribute to the beauty of nature. As the audience steps into this cinema, they are not just stepping into a building; they are stepping into a world where the beauty of nature meets the magic of cinema.