Office AIO transforms tiny Hutong spaces into a serious coffee bar and B&B

© Eric Zhang - Yu Cheng

Architects: Office AIO

Location: Beijing, China

Area: 34.0 sqm

Project Year: 2016

Photographs: Eric Zhang - Yu Cheng

Project Designer: Timothy Kwan

Project Manager: Isabelle Sun

Project Contractor: Wan Hong Gang

Visual Identity: MEAT Art Direction and Design

Client: Ipeng Zhang, Shan Nan

© Eric Zhang - Yu Cheng

From the architect. Office AIO transforms tiny Hutong spaces into a serious coffee bar and B&BNestled within Xiang?er Hutong in central Beijing, Big Small Coffee + B&B has a total area of 34 square meters. The project consists of two parts: a coffee bar (19 sqm) and a guest room (15 sqm) linked by a courtyard shared with an elderly neighbour.
© Eric Zhang - Yu Cheng

Owners of the coffee business wanted to bring serious artesian coffee to their customers in a small space, emphasising focus on just a good cup of coffee.  Hence the brand ?Big Small Coffee? - being small in size but big on intention.

site plan

Sun and Kwan - founders of Beijing studio Office AIO :?We imagined Big Small Coffee to have a fresh, and professional identity and we wanted to bring attentiveness to the design specific for its...