A new retail concept for Tea Chateau — Vita Green's functional tea brand — bringing a Nespresso-style pod system for Chinese teas to IFC Mall, Hong Kong.
Studio X developed a pilot retail concept for Vita Green’s ‘Tea Chateau’, launching in IFC Hong Kong ahead of a 12-store regional rollout.
Process
Pre-Concept
Concept Design
Schematic Design
Detail Design
Tender Documentation
Tender Management
Construction Support
Guideline Package
Post-Completion Review
The concept is based around a Nespresso-style pod system, but for Chinese functional teas and are ‘prescribed’ by an expert bartender to improve people's health.
The store features an experience bar, where customers can receive a 1-1 consultation with a specialist, who can advise on the most suitable products for each health-based case and can also serve samples of each tea, which are brewed live in the store in front of the customer.
An ultra compact space, neatly organised to perform several tasks in order to enrich the customer experience and provide a serendipitous customer journey
The tea bar allows customers to have a consultation with an in-store expert who will advise tea based on, among other things, a customer's health concerns.
A playful yet highly organised merchandising wall, combining story-telling, visual merchandising and a series of 'exploded' product displays.
The lighting was a major consideration given the wellbeing component - the Coelux ceiling above the bar provides light that perfectly emulates natural sunlight.
The shopfront was designed to light and transparent with the hero wall bay almost reaching the mall threshold.
A view back towards the mall, with the library wall to the left and tea bar to the right.
Tea Chateau developed a proprietary pod brewing system and blended tea range. The challenge was translating the depth of Chinese tea culture into a compelling, accessible retail narrative.
Selected views
A collection of images documenting the completed showroom, highlighting layout, display, and circulation.
(Approach)A contemporary apothecary cabinet displays medicinal herbs suspended in resin for ingredient discovery and education.
Progress
A record of the project as it developed on site, capturing key moments as the design took shape.
Installing the Coelux ceiling light, which was installed to ensure the perfect emulation of natural sunlight in order to enhance the feeling of wellbeing for those sat at the bar underneath.
Carcassing work of the hero product wall, prior to installation of the cast resin 'exploded' product features.
Testing the internal illumination on the apothecary wall to ensure each tea ingredient is adequately lit.
A concept sketch to illustrate the components that make up the hero backwall for the purposes of demonstrating preliminary design intent to the joinery team.
An initial sketched planogram produced during the concept stage, to rough out one possible setting-out direction for the hero wall merchandising hierarchy.
A plan showing the overall spatial logic and back of house.
The store had to resolve a genuinely difficult brief: build a story-driven, engaging, and commercially effective retail environment for an entirely new brand — within just 500 sqft.
The store had to work hard. To be interesting, to inform customers, to encourage engagement with an esoteric product and we had to pack a huge amount of utility into a very compact space without it feeling congested. We also created a number of highly detailed, tactile and sensitively integrated features in order to bring rich storytelling and character to the space.
Ryan Tse
Director
Vita Green Health Products
Rufus and his firm can turn your ambiguous ideas into beautifully designed realities. As a new venture, they had nothing to base ideas on. Listening to our hopes carefully, they managed to surprise us with a design that exceeded all expectations.
A wonderful experience working with Studio X - we’re already working on our second project!
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