Architecture Article

Located on a prominent corner lot along one of the busiest streets in Bà Rịa Ward, The 1999’s Coffee has emerged as a distinctive landmark within the rapidly developing urban district. More than a venue for tea and coffee, the project was envisioned as a bold architectural gesture—an inviting retreat that offers a moment of calm amid the relentless pace of the surrounding city.

Located on a prominent corner lot along one of the busiest streets in Bà Rịa Ward, The 1999’s Coffee has emerged as a distinctive landmark within the rapidly developing urban district. More than a venue for tea and coffee, the project was envisioned as a bold architectural gesture—an inviting retreat that offers a moment of calm amid the relentless pace of the surrounding city.

Suzhou, as a city, has distinctive regional architectural characteristics. We abstracted three key elements from traditional garden architecture—”pavilions,” “corridors,” and “views”—and sought to combine these elements with the inherent attributes of the original building. The lower floor of the original structure contained a row of hidden columned corridors, which were downplayed in the 2012 renovation, and the facades were enclosed with glass curtain walls, thereby clearly separating the interior and exterior spaces.

The house manifests itself on the street as a long and austere brick façade, evoking the sensation of entering a courtyard. This architectural gesture creates the impression of being immersed in a larger space as if the house itself were contained within a more expansive courtyard—following a nested logic reminiscent of a matryoshka doll.

The High Point Market in North Carolina is the place where the home-furnishing world reveals what’s next. We visited the fall 2025 event and after walking miles of showrooms and checking out the newest collections, we spotted five big furniture trends…