Office AIO has converted a courtyard residence in Beijing's Xiang'er Hutong into a tiny cork- and tile-lined coffee bar with a traditionally styled guest room (+ slideshow).

The tiny 34-square-metre business named Big Small Coffee + B&B is set within one of Beijing's hutong districts, which consist of high-density houses set along narrow alleys and around courtyards.
Office AIO founders Timothy Kwan and Isabelle Sun divided the space into two parts ? a 19-square-metre coffee bar and a guest room measuring 15 square metres ? linked by a courtyard shared with an elderly neighbour.

"The 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," said Kwan and Sun. "Hence the brand Big Small Coffee ? being small in size but big on intention."
The coffee shop is split lengthwise by a mirror-clad bar topped by a slab of shimmering granite.
The granite counter top passes through a slot in the glass shop front to provide a small outdoor seating area sheltered by a clear acrylic canopy.

Related story: Arch Studio transforms Beijing hutong into tea house with curving glass courtyards

"The gesture also serves to dissolve the envelop in between the interior and the hutong scenes," said the architects, who added a pair of metal blocks to provide further impromptu seating outside.

While the barista's realm is covered in small white til...