Laihui: A Coffee Roastery Revolutionizing the Chinese Coffee Scene

Zhenan Hou's Award-Winning Design Brings Specialty Coffee to Ordinary Life

Zhenan Hou's inspiration for Laihui came from a desire to maximize the immersive experience of the space. The building, once a factory, took a year to find and another year to complete the interior work. The use of a rich variety of materials to express the colors of grey and black, the most suitable colors for a factory, creates a unique space for visitors. The design is sensitive to the main theme and elements, providing a unique spatial experiment for those who walk in.

Laihui stands out for its focus on bringing specialty coffee to ordinary life. Located in the Liuyun Estate, a quiet local neighborhood surrounded by several shopping malls in the center area of Guangzhou, the café is designed to reduce environmental distractions and allow people to focus as much as possible on the coffee itself. The use of pure and solid materials like cement and wood further enhances this focus.

The design of Laihui is a testament to the use of simple and environmentally friendly building materials. The 300 square meter space is designed to function as a factory-themed space. The open-ended rectangular bar includes three different function settings in a clockwise direction: cashier/bread-espresso machine-hand brew area. This setup allows people to see through the space while standing in front of the bar, especially the main roasting area.

The project, which started in October 2017 and finished in July 2018, was not without its challenges. The original building was very old and separated by walls into many rooms. It needed to be strengthened structurally and opened into a single space. The design also had to consider rationality and not add anything that would distract from the coffee experience.

With the third wave of specialty coffee starting to affect China, many cafes have opened in recent years. However, many of them have diluted the focus on coffee by adding other elements like food and decoration. Zhenan Hou's design of Laihui holds onto the origin point - coffee, making every element fit it, to create a pure space to drink coffee and immerse in the atmosphere.

The design of Laihui is a testament to Zhenan Hou's commitment to creating a unique coffee experience. The Silver A' Design Award it received is a recognition of its outstanding expertise and innovation. The design not only showcases a remarkable level of excellence but also introduces positive feelings, amazement, and wonder. It is indeed a top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable design.