The project is the first Tomacado restaurant in Shanghai, which is situated at One ITC in Xuhui District. Originated in Beijing, the brand has brought its love and charm to Shanghai, a prosperous and bustling metropolis that attracts people from worldwide. Due to the fast-paced lifestyles, the local people aspire for an undisturbed place where they can slow down to enjoy life and console their restless soul. As a restaurant and also a flower shop, the project aims to create a secluded paradise in the busy city. 

Our design team is convinced that space is formed by objects, so objects are the basis of functions and layering of space, and also carriers that connect the space with the circulation routes. They can be interesting structures and installations, which may produce playful or sometimes dull visual experiences. In addition, a particular material or structure can be utilized to help blur the relationship between the space and other interfaces. Therefore, objects themselves are of diverse value, and are also capable of endowing the space with greater value. 

The design inspiration for objects in the space comes from dandelions. Dandelions in nature drift with wind, which embodies harmony and organic interaction between living things and the environment. It’s so beautiful and elegant when the seeds are detached from the maternal plant and drift away. We extracted the design concept from dandelions, to interpret the story of Tomacado. The forms of dandelions were translated into a new art installation, which dialogues with the space. Envisioning the art installation as the "main body" and customers as moving “carriers”, the design aims to communicate Tomacado's fabulous food and charm to the outside world. 

As the main "body" of the space, the art installation creates a visual effect that dandelions fall down from the top and spread from the center to all directions, which immerses the customers into the atmosphere. The entrance is connected to the foyer and the passage via an architectural block. Due to the limited space, scattered functional areas are integrated into a whole. The flower display stand and the bar counter are united, which blurs the boundary between the flower shop and the restaurant to some extent whilst breaking the conventional independent presence of water bars.    

Based on the concept of “custom-made architecture” put forward by Peter Zumthor, we emphasized the integration of the space and the local context. In order to hide the original steel architectural framework, we drew on both historical and new buildings within the former French Concession area in Shanghai, and decided to create arched door and window openings. Influenced by those arched structures, the light filtering in and the shadows are full of changes throughout the day. As people and light entering, the dandelion elements perceive the wind and swing in the air. In this way, a silent dialogue among light, people and space begins, making the place full of surprises and satisfaction. Moreover, we embedded floral art onto a wall and painted it with textured finishes, which generates an interesting, aesthetic contrast of stillness and motion with the art installation. 

Rather than defining the style of the space, we wanted to create a unique interior ambience through the combination of materials, space and light. The simplistic architectural structures, clear spatial pattern and pure material palette have become new aesthetic carriers of the space. The design presents the aesthetic born from organic interaction, which enables the customers to relax and to comprehend the beauty of natural plants in the space awash with interplay of light and shadows. We expect girls to bring their beloved ones and best friends to enjoy the wonderful food and stories there.