Starbucks cafe

Gongfu tea house

Located in the major city of Shenzhen in China’s Guangdong province, this high-profile café marries the region’s long and storied tea culture with coffee through an intentional, experience-led customer journey and story-telling through barista craft and slow-pour Gongfu tea ceremony.

CONCEPT & PROCESS

A highly chopped up existing shell inspired a design approach that leaned into this challenge by establishing a series of intimate galleries and tea rooms. Upon entering the store, guests are treated to an experiential tea ceremony bar and barista concierge, paying homage to the local region’s slow tea culture. A central banquette lounge can be seen beyond through a filtered bamboo screen wall behind the tea bar, encouraging customers to discover and move through and around the space. Custom merchandize fixtures were designed to highlight locally-sourced tea and coffee vessels while a large community table at the back of the store is flanked by a sculptural wall of tea cups sourced and placed by the barista partners working in the store, instilling a greater sense of pride and ownership of the store experience.