Canton Avenue – Canton Bazaar

Guang Zhou Shi, China,

Canton Avenue

The Westin Pazhou Hotel (Guangzhou) was jointly built by China Foreign Trade Center (Group) and Starwood Hotels and Resorts International Group. It is located in the center of the world-renowned Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center, with excellent city skyline or Pearl River views. All the exhibition halls of the Canton Fair could be reached through the sky corridor from the hotel. The full-day garden restaurant, lobby bar, and outdoor sunroom redesigned by MOK Design are located in the central area of the first floor of the hotel. The well-lit sunroom with traditional color mosaic patchwork and textured terrazzo floor embodied the perfect combination of tradition and modernity.

The biggest highlight of the restaurant is the renovation design of the outdoor sunroom, a large space, fully transparent glass enclosure. It could accommodate 107 people for dining at the same time. During the day, guests could enjoy the physical and mental pleasure of dining brought by the all-around warm sunshine; in the evening, guests could enjoy delicious food with wine accompanied by the sunset and starry sky outside the roof, which is a romantic experience.

Canton Bazaar

The full-time garden restaurant is called “Canton Bazaar”, which refers to a food market that gathers all the flavors of Cantonese. The designer adhered to the design concept of “An oasis in the city, a garden full of vitality.” and incorporated elements such as the theme of the Canton Fair, the concept of the One Belt One Road, the historical background of the Maritime Silk Road, and the authentic Lingnan culture of Guangdong. Also, the designer redesigned in the form of “The Market”, dividing 9 DNAs: “The Baker’s Corner”, “The Juicery”, “Farm To Table”, “The Fisherman’s Table”, “Open Kitchen”, “Communal Table”, “Green Sanctuary”, “Partition Wall”, and “Locavore Corner”, which creates a fashionable, young and diversified gourmet oasis with Guangdong characteristics.

The MOK design team delved a lot of time into the brand characteristics of the two groups and the historical culture of Guangdong. They incorporated some elements into the design, such as the geographic characteristics of Guangdong, which serves as a stop on the Maritime Silk Road; the main products exported by the Maritime Silk Road: porcelain, bronze, and Cantonese embroidery; the development history of the Canton Fair.

This mosaic mural was originally created by Ms. Zhang Haiyan, a famous contemporary art artist.  She later drew the manuscript of this mosic mural with colored lead with this program designer Li Yanfang. The manuscript was then sent to an Italian mosaic factory to be used for mural making. The main elements of the screen are: the Zhenhai Tower, bombax ceiba, harbour, Guangzhou Tower, merchant ships, seagulls, and cloud patterns, which vividly reproduce the prosperity scene of “All kinds of goods in the world are imported into China from overseas. Tens of thousands of wine shop owners take care of each other in business.”. As the background of the lobby dining area on the wall, it subtly creates an atmosphere for the diners.

Garden, Sunlight and Gourmet

As the designer said: I hope people feel relaxed when they enter this space, instead of rushing to take pictures.

At the junction of indoor and outdoor, in addition to a tea bar in the corner where you can wait or rest, there is a bigger surprise for you — the outdoor garden. The scenery and objects in the garden will drive all your senses. We “transplanted” a piece of greenfield to the front hall, where you could breathe the fresh air, hear the crisp birdsong, see the brilliant colors and touch the textured materials and textures so that your mood will become better. The 6-meter-high transparent space is bright and wide. Plenty of daylight creates a dreamy scene, which will impress you. There is also a tea bar where you can drink. The hotel’s unique location and the transparent, bright, and natural restaurant’s outdoor sunroom make it the first choice for wedding banquets and conferences.

Market and Open Kitchen

The style of the restaurant is modern and elegant, combined with the form of “The Market”. It has an enclosed island-style baking “market” and “The Juicery” area, as well as an open kitchen with various Cantonese flavors and Asian cuisines.

The restaurant is a high-class and simple style, using elegant light-colored marble texture, grille elements, and light brown warm tones. The interior can accommodate a total of 219 people. Through in-depth analysis of the flow of people and business models, the design team aims to have both a completely independent private space and a large-scale open area, creating an independent and integrated market format to meet different needs of customers, and the needs of multi-period operations.

Marble and grille elements are used in “The Juicery” area, which is visually connected to the Baker’s Corner. The simple golden chandeliers are like tangible musical notes, jumping into the cup of the drinking guests. Not only can guests communicate here, but they can also enjoy the tranquility of being alone.

Artistic Division
The design of this space has both function and aesthetics, and it also brings economic benefits. In detail, MOK flexibly uses glass screens, grilles, and greenery to separate the open dining area, the private room, and the VIP room in the lobby.

The layout of the open dining area and the VIP room is semi-open and semi-private, and light can flow freely in the two places. The designers constructed the boundary of the space poetically. On the wall of the VIP room, the designers have arranged a world map with a black metal frame ingeniously, which echoes the frame color of the glass screen, the material and shape of the indoor chandelier, and the black and white photos on the wall. They look different seen from all directions. At the entrance, the designers used green plants to decorate the wall, and also dotted the lobby with green plants. The one-person tall large-leaf green plants not only ensure the privacy of the space but also ensure the transparency of light and air circulation.

As the designer said, I don’t want to create fast fashion designs that will soon become obsolete, but use the most simple decoration and design techniques to meet the function, consider the economic benefits and attach importance to the communication between people. The reconstruction design of the all-day dining restaurant in the Westin Pazhou Hotel not only conforms to the aesthetics but also reflects the local culture and history. The precise and poetic design and application of well-connected materials with art and design, which inspire guests and enhance their dining experience.