Project: Mountain-Sea Chronicles
Architecture: Funun Lab
Lead Designer: Fan Jie
Design Team: Li Hui, Han Bo, Wang Nong
Location: Yantai, Shandong, China
Area: 1077 m2
Year: 2024
Photo Credits: ICY © ICYWORKS
“Mountain-Sea Chronicles” is an immersive dining experience curated by FUNUN LAB in collaboration with Oriental Banquet. This project invites you to journey through a poetic landscape where the beauty of mountains and seas transforms into artful design. Moreover, every detail is carefully crafted to awaken your senses and create an emotional connection with nature.
Beside Mountains and Seas: Savor the Essence of Flowing Elegance
Inspired by the graceful dance of mountain peaks and the endless stretch of the sea, the design unfolds like a flowing canvas. Floor-to-ceiling windows blur the boundary between indoors and out, while curved planting walls and gentle textures guide your gaze toward the horizon. The space is designed to evoke the romance and subtlety of Eastern aesthetics, where nature’s form is celebrated and elevated.
- Open Kitchen & Grilling Area: At the heart of the space, a towering open-flame oven reaches skyward like a mystical furnace. This focal point not only excites the palate but also draws visitors into a story of adventure and exploration.
- Dynamic Light and Shadow: Soft, luminous daylight filters through expansive glass, dancing across rippling surfaces and hidden reefs. This interplay of light and shade creates a vibrant ambiance that continually evolves, much like the natural world.
- Seamless Transitions: The design blurs the lines between separate zones, creating spontaneous pathways that encourage diners to explore and discover hidden corners. Here, the experience of dining becomes a journey that connects you with both the land and the sea.
The Form of Essence: A Feast of the East
Drawing deeply from Eastern cultural traditions, the design reimagines space with an emphasis on fluidity and dynamic contrast. White linear structures and curvilinear forms evoke the graceful motion of the sea, while tiered seating and undulating walls create layers of depth and intimacy.
- A Harmonious Setting: Soft jade-green marble and a gilded ceiling form a striking visual symphony, contrasting boldly with the understated elegance of the main hall. These elements celebrate both the grandeur of nature and the refined simplicity of Eastern philosophy.
- Thoughtful Detailing: Hidden corridors and private rooms, adorned with innovative green tones, offer moments of quiet reflection amid the lively dining area. The use of asymmetry and dynamic lines transforms everyday spaces into extraordinary canvases of light, color, and shadow.
- Cultural Reverence: By stripping away the superfluous, the design pays homage to the true essence of Eastern beauty. Rather than repeating traditional motifs, it embraces the pure sensory experience of taste and the ever-changing moods of nature.
A Journey of Sensory Discovery
Ultimately, “Mountain-Sea Chronicles” is more than just a restaurant—it is a living narrative that bridges space, light, and the human spirit. The experience is designed to take you on a journey from the rugged allure of mountains to the gentle caress of the sea, inviting you to rediscover yourself along the way. In this space, every element has a purpose, and every detail tells a story of nature, art, and the delicate balance between tradition and modernity.
Through FUNUN LAB’s visionary design, the banquet becomes a feast for the senses—one that transcends the ordinary and awakens a profound connection to the beauty of the world.
