“The Flask Tea Lounge is inspired by the tea and rice wine canteens of ancient China, creating new cocktails and spirits infused with Chineses herbs and teas leaves”

 
 

Flask Tea Lounge

The Flask Tea Lounge is the most recent craft cocktail project from the FLASK Group in Shanghai. The new project is a departure from the previous edgy environments created by the FLASK GROUP and leans into its local roots at the famous Xintiandi area of Shanghai. Inspired by the Jiǔs  酒†, AKA public house, the new lounge takes its cues from the earliest form of a tavern in China. These public houses were created to house and serve water, tea, alcohol, and snacks for commuters traveling between towns. Inspired by the transient nature of Shanghai, the new Chinese Tea theme tavern will be created to serve craft cocktails infused with tea, medicine, herbs, dry spices, and locally sourced wine & spirits.

 
 
 

With only 1,000 sf. to work with, the design team created multiple user experiences within a single space allowing each client group or individual of the Flask Team to have full visibility of the room at one time. A unique outcome was splitting the bar into two parts instead of creating a single long bar. At a high bar, individuals and groups can be served with mid-height standing tables just behind, while at the center of the room a reservation-only experience will serve Tea-Infused Cocktails for those seated at the bar. The rest of the room observes the Tea Ceremony taking place as a form of entertainment and intrigue.

Following the theme of infusion, the design team wished to infuse east and west in the design through raw materials and not decoration. The use of reclaimed brick as a main theme has been done before, but in this case the team introduced custom made bricks at the bar made of Silicon Carbide consisting of recycled glass shavings which captures the light - giving off a turquoise and jade inspired glow.

The furniture is a mix of international brands, locally sourced antiques, and custom designs. The furniture is designed to allow for maximum flexibility; by day the lounge will be used by groups for events, and then evolve into a seductive intimate experience by night.

 
 

The team has designed and crafted three primary art features prominently placed within the space. The first is a series of splayed rustic steel slats that have been painted with gold leaf on the inside face to create a two tone juxtaposition between the refined gold leaf and rusted steel, catching the light and animating the space above the lounge. The second is a central feature composed of broken pieces of blue and white porcelain layered to create a sea of reflective blue patterns and shadow as the light plays on it. The second at the exterior entrance is called “The Herb Garden,” and is composed of various colorful Chinese Herbs neatly layered in a small gabion mesh. The piece shows off the exquisite shape and color of the herbs as well as their strong herbal scent greeting and priming the scenes of the visitors as they pass by.

 
 
 
 
 

Design Team:

AUGUST GREEN:

Kyle MertensMeyer_Design Director

Brian Zhou_Senior Architect

Tang Linwei_Designer

Nan YingTang_Designer 

Consultants:

Kaleidoskope_Visualization