Canes of bamboo interlace across the ceiling to form a canopy above guests in this bar in Beijing, China designed by Imafuku Architects.
Dongshang ? which is shortlisted in the bar interior category of this year's Dezeen Awards ? offers an extensive menu of sake and whiskies from Japan, as well as a selection of Japanese dishes.
When it came to designing the interiors of the bar, Imafuku Architects wanted to use a material that spoke of the bar's Japanese menu, as well as its Chinese location ? bamboo immediately came to mind.
Bamboo lines the upper half of the corridor leading into Dongshang
"The history of planting and using bamboo in these two countries can be traced back to ancient times," explained the studio. "Both Chinese and Japanese people have utilized bamboo as a material for construction, furniture, containers and even art pieces." "Dongshang invites guests on a story of traditional aesthetics and crafting techniques of the two countries through the contemporary reinterpretation of bamboo."

The studio had also become particularly inspired by the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, a group of Chinese scholars, musicians and writers from the third century who would convene in a bamboo grove to escape the turmoil and corruption associated with the royal courts at the time.
The bamboo is fixed to the walls with brass nails
Guests are led into Dongshang through a long corridor. The bottom half of the walls here are lined with dark grey ter...