1.Let Tea Culture Speak to Youth
PURE NFTEA is a tea brand situated in C Future City, Futian District, Shenzhen. The brand's name "PURE" is a transliteration of "Pu'er". The client hopes to interpret tea culture in a fresh way, challenge young people's perceptions of Chinese tea. EK Design transformed traditional spatial experiences and created a dynamic conflict that appeals to younger generations and engages them in tea culture.

2.Deconstruction
The space is comprised of both indoor and outdoor areas, both of which have a triangular horizontal plane. In terms of spatial relations, the tea store and the shopping mall where it sits mutually attract traffic. Therefore, the designers faced more challenges in creating an independent style, but also had more freedom to put inspiration into practice, which means "more openness, freedom, and creativity".

Different structures, such as the beams and columns, the booths and the bar, showcase the joinery techniques of traditional Chinese architecture represented by mortise-and-tenon structure (also known as Sunmao structure).

To tackle the challenge of the acute triangle horizontal plane, the design team maximized the use of the space while minimizing the sense of narrowness. First, the designers utilized the existing conditions by adding beams, which are parallel to the triangle, to the existing columns and creating new decorative columns at the joints.

The next step was creating passages out of the angles, thus making use of the corners. In this way, an asymmetrical yet balanced frame was constructed on the horizontal plane, defining a new space in a deconstructive manner. One side of the triangle becomes a display and operation platform to keep the kitchen out of sight. One side becomes the storefront and bar counter to connect with the public area of the shopping mall, and the other side is left open to connect with the outdoor space.

3.Painting
The painting is inspired by the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll, and features a contrasting blend of realistic and romantic elements. It incorporates three ancient paintings, namely, "Shanglin Park", "Huishan Tea Party" and "Tea Extraction", and has been edited to combine both modern ideology and traditional copper plate printing techniques.

4.Red soil
The red soil of Yiwu has a saturated color that resembles Pu'er tea. In the project, the design team extracted the natural colors of both the soil and tea to showcase the unique terroir of Pu'er and the rich history of Chinese tea.

5.Fusion
As the tea store incorporates innovative tea beverages and socializing functions, it's designed with a variety of seating options. The bar seating seamlessly blends with the existing beams and columns, almost as if it's an extension of the environment. The asymmetrical booth structures are arranged in a harmonious manner, and tables are strategically placed in the corners to fully utilize the space.