Interview about Koto Tea Space Cafe, winner of the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award 2024
Koto Tea Space, a tranquil Japanese teahouse nestled in downtown Bangkok, brings the enchanting concept of "Shichu no Sankyo" to life a country retreat within the urban pulse. Concealed by wave-patterned ceramic tiles, the entrance shields from the city's chaos, warding off sunlight and rain. Inside, the Tea Salon boasts 6 seats and 2 tatami areas, offering a peaceful horizontal design reminiscent of Shugaku-in's signature shelf. With a focus on harmony, the existing structure, earthy walls, and natural lacquer-finished furniture unite to create an inviting coziness.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsShichu no Sankyo is the Japanese design concept which helps to create a sense of escape in the city by applying multiple filters to isolate one from urban set up to rural cozy space. Takanao and the client worked together to find a site where discreet from busy street, and setting ceramic screen and bamboo for offering impactful facade to block views. Above layers helped to actualize the concept in Bangkok urban condition.
The pattern was carefully selected for reflecting a sense of Pan Asian-pattern, easy and stable fabrication, and ability to tessellate 3 dimensionally. The wavy pattern is also allowing a view porosity from inside, blocking light, while allowing some wind to pass through the screen. The pattern is arranged as a result of the wind simulation as well. As 3D printed prototype offer rather mechanical outcome, although each one is casted by hand, Takanao applied blue colored glazing with crystalized irregular pattern which offer more hand-crafted look to give variation in its appearance.
Bangkok is a city where there is a strong focus on creating small universe within private space, thus the city is covered with full of urban pockets. The Koto Tea Space function as one of the urban espace through making a series of layers, "Sichu no Sankyo".
Takanao won research grant from Chulalongkorn University to develop a cladding system reflecting environmental performance found in Thai-modernism architecture, and design from traditional Thai ceramic cladding system. The research helped Takanao to develop a pattern which is environmentally performative yet reflecting Pan Asian design feature to update Thai Cladding design.
For the durability, and cost efficiency, Takanao selected affordable method which still allow to create a sense of unity. Therefore the wall was covered with textured paint, instead of earth-wall. Signature shelf was made with timber stain. Meanwhile, the main counter is made with Japanese Pine wood with natural lacquer to create a focus for the users.
Takanao is aiming to design a total work of art by achieving design from a sense of touch to a space of architectural space. Takanao as a ceramicist, he offers tea utensils to be used in the cafe, and creating signature ceramic cladding entrance. Takanao as an architectural designer, he considers overall composition of space, use of material, sequence, as such. In Koto Tea Space, there was a good blend between both approaches.
Takanao and the client wanted to create an exclusive Japanese tea experience from the initial design sketch. Therefore Takanao tried to maximize the customer experience by offering good view to tea serving and the signature shelf. Tatami space is a flexible space where allowing to hold tea ceremony, art display, performances, or else low table seats when needed. As both spaces are facing the corridor, it allowing easy access for the customers.
In last 20 years, consuming high-end beverage become popular in Thailand, and Japanese tea become significantly popular beverage for young Thai people followed by the specialty-coffee. This tea space challenges applying design concept of tea rather than imitating Japanese-look to contribute for architectural design approach in emerging tea culture in Bangkok.
For creating a mood for Japanese Tea Space, there must be an interplay of dark-ness, filtered light, and earthy and wooden appearance. Takanao worked with lighting designer to apply series of diffused light to high-light the counter, products, tea serving and some symbolic spaces in a controlled manner. Incoming natural light from the street is filtered by the bamboo and the ceramic screen to make layered light.
Japanese tea culture has more profound cultural layer as Sencha associating with aspiration to Classical China, and Matcha associating with Zen as self-reflection. These ideological layer in Japanese tea offers various potentiality to associate with contemporary urban living as Classical China and Zen are still relevant in a way of living. Meanwhile, rather than imitation, essential concept latent in each ideology shall be resonate with the design.
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