Scent of a Golden Age

Coffee Shop for Nong Mu Design Engineering Company

The design team began with the imagery of the "good old days" and took cues from the Showa era to build a flagship store that is worthy of its brand. This renovation of a sixty-year-old two-story shophouse into a modern coffee shop in the Chihkan District of Tainan. The steel frame and iron cladding of the old house are transformed into a place with a refined essence of time. The reinterpretation of an old Japanese house through new imagination. The traces of begone days and the smell of coffee together makes the space into a warm one.

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Download Press Kit № 106894 Coffee Shop for Nong Mu Design Engineering Company by JOYE CHUANG to access high-res images, essential texts, translations, and exclusive interviews—all in one.

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Scent of a Golden Age by JOYE CHUANG

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Coffee Shop by JOYE CHUANG

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JOYE CHUANG Scent of a Golden Age

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JOYE CHUANG Coffee Shop

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JOYE CHUANG Designer Portrait Photo

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Scent of a Golden Age Coffee Shop Press Releases

Press resources for Scent of a Golden Age are offered in several languages: English.

Scent of a Golden Age Coffee Shop Media Articles

Ready-to-feature articles on Scent of a Golden Age are available in these languages: Turkish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic (Standard), English, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Russian and Chinese (Mandarin), for your convenience.

Unique Properties

This renovation of a sixty-year-old two-story shophouse into a modern coffee shop in the Chihkan District of Tainan is the sixth franchise store of OH! Café, whose owner once won World Coffee Roasting Champion (WCRC) in 2014. The design team began with the imagery of the "good old days" and took cues from the Showa era to build a flagship store that is worthy of its brand. The traces of begone days and the smell of coffee together makes the space into a warm one.

Tags

Coffee, Renovation, Tainan, Japanese, Gold

Production Technology

The Showa era gold color and colors of the autumn season constitute the main colors scheme of the project. The spiral staircase optimizes the space and anchors the circulation of the area near the bar counter on the first floor. The streamlined curve of the design connects several things into one gesamtkunstwerk: the encircling concrete cylinders, the fifty-year-old handmade paper umbrellas hanging above, the aromas area in the rear cabinet wall, and the corner of the counter.

Design Challenge

The second floor is designed as a mezzanine. To the left is a small Japanese garden with a narrow flagstone path. The millstone fountain suggests the presence of the restrooms. To the right is the raised seating area that looks like a floating pavilion. The scale of Japanese rush mats accommodates both gestures of sitting and lying. Whether or not the curtains are closed, the windows by the streets present an order complex to the old alleyway.

Project Duration

The project started in April 2019 in Tainan and finished in June 2019 in Tainan.

Operation Flow

The service area at the bar counter accommodates advanced coffee machines, bean grinder, and waiters' uniforms. The colors are restricted to a minimum to facilitate the concentration needs for the professional working area, including the rusticated brown of the counter facade, the quartz stone countertop, and other metal components. Both old and new to create the beloved touches of a Japanese house.

Research

The gold paint on the steps of the staircase invokes a sense of Showa-era. An abstract painting of rough sapphire-like texture occupies the wall that spans both floors as if the smoke of coffee bean roasting rising. Outside the glass window is the light of the old yellow lantern, echoing the bamboo lantern inside. The resonance between inside and outside recalls warm memories of bygone days.

Inspiration

The steel frame and iron cladding of the old house are transformed into a place with a refined essence of time. The revivalist woodwork supports the pitched roof with an oval opening like the entrance of a Japanese residence. The reinterpretation of an old Japanese house through new imagination.

Image Credits

Image #1: Photographer Sanwen Studio, Scent of a Golden Age, 2019. Image #2: Photographer Sanwen Studio, Scent of a Golden Age, 2019. Image #3: Photographer Sanwen Studio, Scent of a Golden Age, 2019. Image #4: Photographer Sanwen Studio, Scent of a Golden Age, 2019. Image #5: Photographer Sanwen Studio, Scent of a Golden Age, 2019. Main image is Image #1, Optional Image #1 is Image #2, Optional Image #2 is Image #3, Optional Image #3 is Image #4, Optional Image #4 is Image #5.

Project Overview

Scent of a Golden Age Coffee Shop has been a Golden winner in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design award category in the year 2020 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

Golden Recognition

JOYE CHUANG was recognized with the coveted Golden A' Design Award in 2021, a testament to excellence of their work Scent of a Golden Age Coffee Shop.

JOYE CHUANG Press Releases

Media members, dive into our press releases on JOYE CHUANG's work, ready for you to use and enhance your journalistic content. Press members can now immediately access 2 press releases.

Scent of a Golden Age: A Modern Coffee Shop Renovation in Tainan

Renowned Designer JOYE CHUANG Transforms a Sixty-Year-Old Shophouse into a Flagship Store

JOYE CHUANG Newsroom

Find inspiration and award-winning creativity within the JOYE CHUANG Newsroom.