"A Collaboration Beyond Conventions"
This 90㎡ small shop is a space that "grew" from the interplay between the designer’s aesthetics and the proprietor’s philosophy. Breaking away from the traditional linear design process, we chose to co-create with the proprietor from the start. The proprietor began by selecting furniture, lighting, artwork, and materials they wished to incorporate, while the designer tailored their placement to the space. The final result is a physical manifestation of the proprietor’s taste—principles of circularity, inclusivity, and negative space, cherished by them, form the skeleton of the space.
設(shè)計(jì)理念
Design Concept
“讓萬物穿過自己”
“Ensō無盡的虛空?qǐng)A”是店的名字,主理人讓萬物穿過自己的思想,是空間的理念。
"Let All Things Pass Through Oneself"
The name of the shop, Ensō—Endless Void Circle, reflects the proprietor’s philosophy of allowing all things to pass through their mind.
Floor-to-ceiling glass facades blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors. Folding windows below further dissolve this pide, while the entrance pathway, cutting through the glass, materializes the idea of "passing through." Volumes, sightlines, light, and scenery flow effortlessly into the interior, embodying the concept of letting the world permeate the space.
"Modern Materials Reinterpret Zen"
Inside, contemporary materials like dark red distressed stainless steel and glass envelop traces of the past—old elm wood, bamboo, and reclaimed railway sleepers.
Zen is evoked subtly through spatial choreography, not overt symbols. From the outdoor seating area, guests follow a winding stone path into the shop, where the narrowing circulation path slows their pace. A 5-meter-long steel plate slices through the interior like a fissure of time, while a tilted glass installation in the garden "steals" a fragment of the sky on sunny days, casting it indoors.
Emptiness and fullness, old and new—two sides of the same coin.
"The Glass Garden That Steals the Sky"
At the garden entrance, the Sky Thief—an art piece of four tilted glass panels—acts as a lens. At a 50-degree angle, it reflects the sky’s ever-changing canvas into the interior, layering celestial and earthly views for window-seated guests. "Even grounded, we deserve the right to gaze at clouds," the proprietor remarks.
“空的杯子才能盛茶,
靜的心才能容下聚散?!?br />
The proprietor says, “To experience, to feel, and finally to let all things pass through oneself.”
Next time you visit Chongqing’s Jinshan Yiku, push open the wormhole-marked elm door. Sit on time-worn sleepers, watch sunlight trace rusted steel, and inhale tea-scented clay bowls. Here, the pursuit of “perfection” feels heavy, but the gently held negative space offers respite for hurried souls.
“An empty cup can hold tea,
A quiet heart can embrace encounters and partings.”
Client: Ensō—Endless Void Circle
Proprietor: Xiao Kexin
Location: Jinshan Yiku, Yubei District, Chongqing
Interior Design: We Live
Lead Designers: Li Weitao, Li Bo
Design Team: Liu Ting, Zhang Zhirui
Construction Drawings: Chongqing Index Geometry Decoration Engineering Co., Ltd.
Botanical Design: Town Botany
Photography: Wan Qin
Design Period: April 2024
Completion: October 2024
Interior Area: 90㎡
Outdoor Seating: 40㎡