- Project: WILLchá Flagship Store
- Architect: CUN DESIGN
- Location: China, Beijing
- Year: 2021
- Area: 120 m2
- Photography: Jia Bin, Si You
Tea has been a cornerstone of Chinese culture for over 5,000 years, yet in today’s cities the scent of coffee often eclipses the aroma of tea. Recognizing this shift, the founders of WILLchá commissioned CUN DESIGN in 2021 to craft a flagship store in Beijing that could reintroduce tea to contemporary life—particularly to a new generation of health-conscious young people.
Spanning just 120 m² (1,291 sq ft), the store embraces the philosophy of “Oriental Light Tea,” combining natural materials, bold geometry, and oriental motifs to create a multi-layered retail and cultural experience.
A Tea Space for Generation Z
Unlike traditional milk tea shops, WILLchá sources its products from natural tea leaves, focusing on healthy tea drinking and scientific preparation methods. With its target audience being consumers aged 20 to 35, the design reflects the lifestyle aspirations of China’s post-90s and post-00s generations—a demographic increasingly committed to wellness, authenticity, and cultural identity.
CUN DESIGN envisioned the flagship store not simply as a place to buy tea, but as a modern cultural hub where space, product, and lifestyle converge.
Geometry and Multi-Functional Space
Though compact in scale, the flagship is organized into nine distinct functional areas:
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Ordering and dining zones
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DIY tea-making station
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Customer service bar
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Tea display and retail space
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Kitchen, storage, and staff lounge
The plan is structured using geometric composition, dividing the small footprint into a composite commercial body. This strategy allows the shop to operate as both a retail environment and a tea experience center, positioning WILLchá as a leader in the evolving new tea culture.
Visitors are greeted by striking geometric forms that evoke the feeling of stepping into another universe—spaces where light, shadow, and structure merge to create a cinematic atmosphere.
Nature and Materiality
Green, the brand’s visual identity, dominates the interior design. A green profiled ceiling rises from 2.8 meters to 5.5 meters, resembling a giant leaf illuminated by cold and warm light sources. This dramatic ceiling installation creates a layered, immersive environment.
Complementing the green theme:
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Light gray oak wood veneer surfaces and furniture add warmth and refinement.
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Black terrazzo flooring reflects light and shadow like a starry night, expanding the perceived spatial depth.
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Natural references—leaf overhead, wood to the side, stone underfoot—embed the visitor in an experience of “being among the grass and trees.”
This material palette positions the store as a space of purity, naturalness, and harmony—values central to WILLchá’s brand identity.
Oriental Aesthetics, Modern Expression
To reflect the brand’s slogan of “Oriental Light Tea,” CUN DESIGN infused the store with subtle oriental references:
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The façade echoes traditional eaves, reinterpreted with disconnected grilles that create a unique rhythm.
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The pillar-holding window and folded display surfaces reference the folding fan, a classic symbol of Chinese elegance.
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Acrylic U-frames and layered displays bring depth and contemporary flair.
This fusion of traditional motifs with modern design cements WILLchá’s visual identity, ensuring a lasting and recognizable aesthetic across future brand expansions.
Cultural Identity and Contemporary Relevance
The WILLchá flagship store represents more than a retail outlet; it is a statement on cultural continuity. By blending modernity with tradition, it offers a platform for young consumers to rediscover the cultural richness of tea.
CUN DESIGN shares the brand’s vision of using design as a cultural bridge. The project embodies Emerson’s words:
“Culture opens the perception of beauty.”
In this way, the store becomes both a commercial space and a cultural narrative, showing how tea culture can evolve while remaining deeply rooted in heritage.
Why This Project Matters
The WILLchá Flagship Store by CUN DESIGN demonstrates how retail design can reshape cultural perception. By aligning with the wellness priorities of Generation Z and showcasing oriental aesthetics in a contemporary form, the store redefines tea not as a relic of the past, but as a vital, fashionable lifestyle choice.
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