Growing up in China, my understanding of tea as a teenager was limited to the traditional oriental tea ceremony. After I moved to the United States, I learned that tea is more dynamic in the West and the younger generation readily accepts it after their bold innovation, such as packaging design and product creation. When comes to tea may not be entirely oriental, such as bamboo, cranes, wooden bridges.  I believe that traditional Chinese culture and western elements can coexist harmoniously, just like a lot of things can be balanced. So I applied this idea to my hotel design. I designed hotel Teavana, a modern boutique hotel located in PalmSprings, a space with “balance” as the theme inspired by Teavana’s blending tea philosophy, a joyful place that helps you to relax and recharge. 

PUBLIC SPACE

For the outside of the hotel, I adopt the mash-up structure of wood and cement, which not only meets the basic demand of toughness, but also adds a little freshness in the era of "reinforced concrete". In the age without steel, our ancestors also live in the wood house. Such fusion gains an original and natural "peace", which is different from the noise and excitement of the city.

In the interior of the hotel, I add the exhibition and other functional areas of tea products, making the hotel not only the residence, but also the medium to understand and enjoy the teavana in a real and close way. While tasting the tea, you will make your body and mind relaxed, enjoy the natural gift and the different joy and comfort. I have left out enough space to show the teaism. The calm water on both sides and the open-air design render it possible for you to calm down and enjoy, even learn the Oriental tea culture and taste the essence of tea in the spare time. Under the requirements of guests, we can also arrange the Oriental Tea scholars to perform and teach and use the Oriental technique to make western mixed flower tea so that customers can be keenly aware. This idea confirms my theme of "balance". It's also a pleasure to enjoy this kind of collision and balance in a clean and elegant environment.

In addition, the design of cube-like small room is inspired by the Oriental teahouse. In China, many people often gather in the teahouse for negotiation, and several people communicate in a relatively independent room. My design is not a traditional sealed room, and both sides are transparent, which is more consistent with the western style of open design, balancing the habit of thinking between East and West and providing customers with more diverse and optimal experience.

GUEST ROOM

Teavana's brand products are very bold in both packaging and taste. In the guestroom design, I also add pink and other bright colors and a balanced blend of grey, black and white to achieve a color balance. 

In the subarea of the bedroom, I also manage to achieve the balance between practicability and beauty. It is different from the traditional division of rooms and bathrooms. There is no clear separation between walls and doors, and each area can be used to the maximum. The guests can distribute according to their own needs and use the Tatami bed and large floor window, which embodies the balance between the eastern elements and the western aesthetics. The table uses irregular logs and inlay design to make customers feel the care of small details. From the overall design to the table and tea sets, the balance of the elements between the East and the West is everywhere.

The above-mentioned balance I am trying to achieve is the starting point of my first design. It is the best solution to balance the necessary ingredients in our life with the unnecessary enjoyment. Therefore, it is important to make customers aware that accommodation is not only the basic function of hotel. The teavana tea industry has a close relationship with the brand. It can be closer to the tea, taste tea, enjoy and learn the tea culture. This balance is my core and original intention.