Gray bricks, black tiles, green painted window frames and vermillion painted door pillars, what a worldly courtyard. That’s where this new Beijing style restaurant used to be.

Yet, the new courtyard is located on Xiu Shui Street, next to Chang An CBD, the international tourism and private trading center of Beijing. Considering the surroundings, we need to figure out a way of fusing together the pleasant slow life of courtyard with Chang An street’s modern commercial centers. We can’t simply take what it used to be and copy it, a new image needs to be reborn from the old style to serve international customers and the future.

“what to be kept, what to be created”? led the direction of design. Enclosed spatial form is the vital spirit of a courtyard, that must be kept. And the color scheme shall be in red and green, to retain as the aesthetic of Chinese poem “red plumb and green thin”. Architect forms shall be able to create a new look for the courtyard by following the law of simplification and art of deception.

▼延续“红肥绿瘦”的诗意， the aesthetic of Chinese poem “red plumb and green thin” ©鲁鲁西

Charm of the Chinese courtyard circulates from the entrance to the most inner side of the restaurant. If attention is paid, the whole space has a descending color tone, transit from dark to light. Vermillion is chosen for the entrance, as it is Chinese people’s favorite color, representing hospitality and celebertion. The reception area looks like a ‘house’, formed by the side wall and pitched roof over it. And the rear wall behind the reception likes a screen wall. Both the ‘house’ and the ‘screen wall’ are essential elements of a courtyard. A bird cage is hanging over the entrance. Life slows down right at the moment when customers hear the Beijing accent ‘Ni Hao’ from the parrot. The Beijing style greeting is rich in history and yet so realistic.