The Pure Thrill of Tea Wine | Murong Design
Shanghai / China / 2025
Velvi Tea & Spirits is a tea-and-wine lounge that explores the balance between nature and urban tension. Conceived as a sanctuary within the city, the project redefines spatial experience through raw materiality and organic flow.
Tired of the city’s glitz and rigid order, many find spaces defined by rigid lines and perfect geometry lacking a sense of ease. Our simple, original intention was to create a tea-and-wine lounge reminiscent of Planet Pandora—a sanctuary for those seeking a refreshing escape for the mind. We pursue neither symmetry nor formality, nor excessive colors or embellishments; instead, we express our philosophy through the most authentic hues of the earth, channeling the raw beauty of plants, rubble, and soil. By weaving together the sensory pleasures of tea, wine, and coffee, we craft an aesthetic journey that stands in gentle contrast to ordinary life.
It allows the natural rhythm of flow and wave to bloom freely in the space. Between the vibrant vitality of growing plants and the rugged texture of concrete tones, it presents a spatial expression that subverts the norm. The artistic essence of concrete and rubble is infused into the lines, achieving a diverse integration of plants, earth, and air. Deconstructing conventional geometry, it attains a purity and stirring emotion that reach directly to the soul.
Engaging in a dialogue with the space, one gazes into its infinitely unfolding purity and rawness. Evoking a natural karst cave, the space feels like a timeless transition through shifting scenes. The walls are cool to the touch, yet the senses are grounded in reality by the aroma of tea and the sharpness of wine. This is a space that blurs the line between illusion and reality, where dreams and reality intertwine, offering immersion without indulgence.
Meandering curves connect every secluded “island” in pure tranquility. Centered on natural elements, the design unfolds as a soul-cleansing spatial dialogue and a journey of self-healing. When seated in quiet repose, the fragrance of tea, the depth of wine, the melody of music, and the company of books combine to fix all sensory pleasures in a timeless moment.
A single tea table, several simple vessels—within such unadorned simplicity lies an transcendent state of mind. It perfectly embodies the spiritual essence of “not elated by material gains, not saddened by personal losses” amid the bustling city. A single cup of wine holds a world within; a single cup of tea embodies the emptiness of all things. Amid the glittering vanity of urban life, to have such a peaceful haven is truly a great comfort and profound joy.
Light circulates through the space, engaging in a ethereal fusion of dream and reality in harmony with its rhythm. In a quiet interplay of tension and release, all things speak silently through poetry and rawness. The warm, muted glow lends a more rustic and tranquil character to the concrete tones, embodying natural vitality through simplicity and ruggedness. Turning away from excessive refinement, it expresses unrestrained freedom and fluidity in the balance between tension and ease.
The void and the solid merge and complement each other, creating an atmosphere that hovers between reality and illusion. Within its ethereal ambiance, the genuine warmth, tactile sensations, taste, and other sensory experiences are amplified and heightened. The artistic allure of the space lies further in the creation of atmosphere and the communication of emotion.
Peering through each opening at the outside world, one senses the shifts of light and weather as if the world were draped in a veil of white gauze—gentle, delicate, calm and unhurried, embracing a quiet, effortless tranquility that forms a world unto itself. Wood grain weaves through the space, while sand-textured concrete reveals its raw beauty; as light shifts and turns, it unfolds an aesthetic charm defined by dramatic interplay of light and shadow. Every seat rests like a natural stone scattered along a stream, existing in effortless harmony and mutual balance with the surroundings.
Recessed niches take shape as distinct symbols, serving both as display niches for ornaments and as empty volumes that invite quiet imagination. The wooden tables boast naturally harmonious hues and minimalist forms, exuding an authentic character unique to their material and bringing a sense of mental calm and immersive relaxation.
A beam of light streams straight down, its mottled textures resembling an elder whose face bears the marks of a life fully lived yet whose gaze holds quiet detachment. In this peaceful corner, he composes an artistic language that is poetic unto itself. The lingering fragrance of tea fills the air, while the lips and tongue savor its delicate flavors. It is a life that returns to simplicity—seemingly plain on the surface, yet profoundly rich and deeply fulfilling at its core.
In addition to private rooms, there are open areas featuring a stepped, theater-inspired design that can accommodate multiple people for events and performances. Curved elements are employed throughout, lending softness and a sense of expansiveness to the space. Free of sharp angles, the environment feels naturally vivid and organic.
There is no adequate way to describe how emotions in a pure world can achieve greater intensity, nor can words fully express that relaxation and mental release are in themselves pure artistic abilities. Amid the teahouses and taverns of such a setting, this project immerses itself entirely in its own unique world, using light sources, wood, gravel, stone, and plants to craft an extraordinary spiritual realm.
As dusk falls, the lighting in the rooftop garden blends with the translucent foliage to create a perfectly atmospheric composition. While sensing the outdoor temperature, one harmonizes fully with nature. The air is filled with the scent of moisture, vegetation, and soil—a single moment that instantly eases vigilance and renews joy.
Coffee clears the mind, wine intoxicates the soul, and tea soothes the spirit. Life holds a thousand flavors, each with its own way of touching us. In this pure, quiet parallel universe, amid the endless hustle and bustle of the outside world, there is always a place where you can calm your heart and slow your pace.
Velvi Tea & Spirits is a tea-and-wine lounge that explores the balance between nature and urban tension. Conceived as a sanctuary within the city, the project redefines spatial experience through raw materiality and organic flow. Tired of the city’s glitz and rigid order, many find spaces defined by rigid lines and perfect geometry lacking a sense of ease. Our simple, original intention was to create a tea-and-wine lounge reminiscent of Planet Pandora—a sanctuary...
- Year 2025
- Work started in 2025
- Work finished in 2025
- Status Completed works
- Type Bars, Cafes, tea houses / Interior design


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