- Project: Siji Minfu Essence Store at Financial Street
- Architect: IN.X Space Design
- Location: China, Beijing
- Year: 2023
- Area: 680 m2
- Photography: Zheng Yan
In the heart of Beijing’s bustling International Finance Center, IN.X Space Design has reimagined the Siji Minfu Essence Store, a 7,319-square-foot restaurant that seamlessly blends cultural heritage with contemporary sophistication. Positioned within the city’s renowned “Golden City Square” business district, the project elevates the Siji Minfu brand while offering a refined dining experience tailored to elite clientele, financial professionals, and modern urbanites.
Concept: Tradition Meets Modern Commerce
The design explores how to integrate Beijing’s historical context with the fast-paced demands of the Financial Street business hub. For IN.X, the challenge was threefold: overcoming the lack of natural light in the basement location, embedding cultural DNA into a high-end commercial setting, and differentiating the brand within a competitive dining environment.
The result is a space where tradition, nature, and modern commerce converge. Drawing inspiration from Beijing’s imperial architecture, historic residences, and everyday urban textures, the design overlays familiar cultural motifs with contemporary aesthetics to create a layered, immersive environment.
Spatial Experience and Atmosphere
From the moment diners enter, the Essence Store shifts perceptions of underground dining.
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Lighting & Atmosphere: Soft gray and earthy tones dominate, with cascading light that mimics moonlight. Subtle illumination reveals textures and creates an intimate, calming environment.
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Materiality & Cultural References: Columns, red bricks, gray walls, and patterned screens evoke echoes of Beijing’s architectural history. These elements—simplified and reshaped with modern materials—coexist seamlessly across time and meaning.
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Natural Motifs: Bar counters and tea tables are designed as miniature landscapes, evoking literati studios and northern gardens. These abstracted “urban nature” elements allow guests to momentarily escape into imagined scenery.
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Art & Ornamentation: Select prints and plaques depicting Buddha statues and literati landscapes serve as symbolic windows, infusing the space with moments of mountain light and poetic reflection.
Together, these layers produce a dining experience that is both urban and natural, rational and poetic, aligning with Siji Minfu’s identity as a brand rooted in Beijing yet resonant with broader aspirations.
Strategy-First Design Approach
IN.X’s strategy-first philosophy is central to the Essence Store’s success. The design not only enhances the dining experience but also responds to the business context of Financial Street by:
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Supporting both casual dining and high-level business meetings.
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Creating a relaxed, restorative environment for white-collar professionals seeking respite in their workday.
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Elevating brand identity through cultural enrichment and design precision, ensuring long-term resonance in a highly competitive market.
By weaving tradition into a modern commercial setting, the design allows diners to enjoy the flavors of Beijing while finding calm in the city’s intensity.
The Siji Minfu Essence Store at Financial Street by IN.X Space Design is more than a restaurant—it is a cultural statement. By merging history, artistry, and urban vitality, the project creates a dining environment that serves both as a retreat and a stage for contemporary life. In doing so, it strengthens Siji Minfu’s identity as a brand where space, culture, and taste are inseparably intertwined.
