A small village of red brick buildings with organic shapes

The context in which the resort is inserted is very special: a sort of city of art, a small village made up of buildings made of local red earth bricks with organic and austere, soft but solid, imaginative and at the same time simple. The buildings are in fact similar to large termite mounds, with tall pinnacles inspired by vernacular architecture.

The graft of an evocative and contemplative resort

Extending over 39,000 square meters, the recently built resort seems to have imprinted the traces of time: a series of domes and architectures rounded - essential, ancestral, maternal - they seem kneaded by the thick and rough hands of skilled craftsmen. In the approach to interior design, the Hong Kong CCD drew inspiration from the local cultural and artistic context, developing a sober and linear design language , strongly evocative and contemplative, to integrate the various, ethereal and airy, spaces - rooms, restaurants, lobby bars, common areas and meeting rooms, in addition to the majestic entrances with an ascetic aura and the scenic outdoor swimming pool - in the lush and peaceful nature surrounding.

The structure opens, captures and plays with natural light

The huge entrance space in the shape of a basin, essential and spiritual,, is distinguished by a hollowed opening in the upper part that creates sound echoes and light reflections. The natural light pours into 'inside the majestic room, generating shadows, glitters and dynamic glows that move and alternate freely in the space to fall on the curved wall that appears as if it were the rippled surface of the water. The variable rhythms of lights and shadows, their chase and the surprising sensorial experiences that arise, give back a sense of welcome ritual of other times.

The lighting design project emphasizes nature and local culture

If for indoor environments, the design team opted for a low and natural lighting, comfortable and warm , for the works of art art, signs and tables have been created with luminous points that visually underline the elements on which they are projected, without ever dominating them.

For the entrance with a particular bowl shape, innovative light installations contrast - to emphasize - with natural materials typical of the artistic and territorial culture of the place: red bricks, beaten earth and straw-textured paint. The wall washing light strips, for example, installed near the floor create a ’ atmosphere that is soft, graceful and ethereal, interacting harmoniously with the space.

The simple, neutral and airy interiors interact with the vernacular architectures

Essential spaces, with natural finishes and neutral shades gradually reveal the authentic and layered charm of the time. For the lobby, for example, the CCD studio used a pure stylistic language, in full respect of local architectural structures. The materials - local, simple and rough - used, as baked red bricks, cement, clay and potsherds, unify interiors and exteriors of a whole a harmonious one, giving back a symbolic symbiosis. The back wall finished in concrete, the round columns, the earthenware lamps and the geometric front desks are of great impact, as if they were sculptures , independent installations that complement each other.

A landscape solid and aquatic, welcoming and soothing 

The circular atrium, impressive and at the same time welcoming, is emphasized by a mirror water shallow in the center, slightly rippled, quiet but intriguing. The elliptical architecture and plants that adorn the spaces with measure and discretion are reflected on the surface of the water, which seems to expand the space, restoring ethereal, relaxing and refreshing sensations.

Elements and materials that pay homage to local art

The references and links to the city of Dongfengyun and the natural territory that surrounds it are continuous. The walls of the restaurant, for example, are made of local red clay bricks, drawing on the traditional shape of the grape arbor, characteristic ceramics local, on the other hand, become ornaments, transmitting a strong charge of historicity and rituality to the space. Finally, the names and design of all the rooms pay homage to local art (painting, ceramics, dyeing...) as well as precious stones such as jade and pearls.

A spiritual retreat where time has crystallized

In Yunnan, literally South of the Yun (mountains), province located in far south-west of China, time seems to have stopped, crystallized between a primordial nature and gestures of ancient memory. Every detail keeps a trace of local craftsmanship and tells - whispers, almost secretly - your story. The design aesthetics of the resort DongFengYun Hotel Mi'Le - MGallery, conceived as a place to restore mind and body, fully embodies the philosophy of the place: “Art dialogues with everything, inspiration portrays life”.