“The sea is an extroverted path to happiness. The mountain is an introverted path to tranquility. They jointly shape the ARANYA lifestyle and the closed loop of life.” Ma Yin, founder of ARANYA, is obsessed with each city surrounded by mountains and seas. This time, Signyan Design and ARANYA Sanya jointly provided life beyond “lifestyle”. 

For Xie Ke, the mountain acts as a part of islands. “I do hope that we have one project in ARANYA to be connected with people and communities and be part of the Utopia or idealism……We hope that the y Hotel is simple yet different from minimalism. Minimalism refers to extreme purity and restriction, while the nature of conciseness is warmth and humanity.” The idea that conforms to “premium simplicity and restrained abundance” became the basic style of y Hotel & Kitchen. The beige main part is outlined with black “side lines”, even the lamps are concealed. The project is equipped with refined materials, handicrafts, and artworks, demonstrating the gentle nature of the space. 

The project y Hotel & Kitchen is located within the Mount Sanya Community. The beige architecture is composed of a quiet, private hotel and an open community restaurant. Being not seaward, the project is surrounded by mountains and adjacent to neighboring villas and residences. The architecture, surrounded by mountains rather than seas, represents an introverted lifestyle from a previous extroverted one. 

Unlike the common practice of “building a house in the mountain”, we concealed the majority of y Hotel & Kitchen underground. The roof is on a level with neighboring residences to be a pleasant “wildlife garden”. In this way, it not only guarantees the sight of neighboring communities, but also becomes a unique landscape. The hotel is tranquil, while the open restaurant is full of joys. With the friendly architecture, we hope that all visitors here can discover the nature and return to their inner peace and ordinary life. 

The entrance of the project is some open space nearby the ring road. The independent hotel and restaurant are connected by a gray space. The distant mountains are vague, while the architecture is quietly concealed in the community as part of the mountains. 

The entire reception area is full of warm and soft. The space looks pragmatic and poetic because of the massive blank spaces. Diverse colored blocks compose the entire space. Different textures are concealed in the handmade details, corresponding to the slowly and freely growing plants and making visitors feel tranquil with conscious meditation. 

Most of the furniture and collections are from YIJI Collections. The new articles with ancient styles include natural flax sofas, mild wood chairs and tea tables, and paintings by Kader Boly, an African -born abstractionist…The folk art is humorous and primitive, representing the simplicity and comfort that are produced by designers. 

The joyful open restaurant is run by Yao Yang from Beijing Saffron Restaurant and y Restaurant. We believe that the most vivid part of the community is the encounter of people within public spaces, for fascinating stories may occur at any time in the company of candid exchanges. 

The basement level release more meditating spaces, making it a quiet place. Many things, like light, order, emotion, and free respiration, are contained in the blank spaces. A vallum as tall as 6m was made between the backyard garden and the nearby residence. In this way, prying between nearby residence and the architecture is fully avoided and proper distance with sunlight can be maintained. 

Some large gardens were made to prevent people from feeling they are in an underground world. Sunlight is “poured” from the courtyard, and wind can move freely here. In the concealed architecture, visitors can feel certain perceptions rather than something specific. As a result, they can roam in the space at will, experience tranquil powers, and get fully relaxed in the interesting traffic flow. 

The hotel is composed of eight rooms ranging from 80m2 to 100m2. Equipped with an independent yard and daylighting patio, each room has diverse layout and structure. The open, spacious glass interface lights and warms up all spaces. Besides, the horizontal French window can guarantee the full views of picturesque landscapes. 

“I’d love to know where the sunlight comes from in the morning and where it goes to in the evening.” Xie Ke is concerned about the “spatial projection of light through time” all the time. Residents here can see sunshine, while extended exposure to strong sunlight should be avoided.” The dramatic changes of light and shadow have been the most amazing rhythms in the space. The free light exists in the shadows and the booming voids of plants. 

It is expected that the small architecture can grow steadily and be painted abundant by time. We wait for that the plants integrate with the architecture for increasing energy. Finally, it will be an amiable neighbor or an ordinary friend in the community……