Photography: NA XIN
13 / 11 / 2025
Daguan, the café-restaurant in Kunming, was originally a 1920s residence built in the Siheyuan style – the traditional Chinese home organized around a central courtyard.
Aurora Design’s 2024 project has reinvented this by weaving tradition and modernity into na atmosphere where every gaze lingers on countless details.
At first glance, nothing reveals what takes place inside. On the ground floor, a dark wooden corridor lets filtered light pass through lace-like doors reminiscent of confessionals – as if the passage were a small ritual, exchanging the overwhelming bustle of the city for the intimate lightness of the space. The central courtyard opens into full brightness, revealing a sequence of details: the roof beams with inlaid patterns at their ends, the wooden pillars appearing to rest on pots set upon the floor, and a small pond where light mingles with the movement of the fish. On the floor, original bricks and stone slabs evoke the rhythm of the past with every step. Around them, tables and seats invite us to pause, conversations unfold slowly, and the black bar at one end gleams under the warm light that casts a timeless glow.
At first glance, nothing reveals what takes place inside. On the ground floor, a dark wooden corridor lets filtered light pass through lace-like doors reminiscent of confessionals – as if the passage were a small ritual, exchanging the overwhelming bustle of the city for the intimate lightness of the space. The central courtyard opens into full brightness, revealing a sequence of details: the roof beams with inlaid patterns at their ends, the wooden pillars appearing to rest on pots set upon the floor, and a small pond where light mingles with the movement of the fish. On the floor, original bricks and stone slabs evoke the rhythm of the past with every step. Around them, tables and seats invite us to pause, conversations unfold slowly, and the black bar at one end gleams under the warm light that casts a timeless glow.
On the upper floor, benches by the windows offer spaces for contemplation of the courtyard and the city.
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