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Simple Treasures: A glimpse of China’s past inspires a futuristic take on guest room design in Beijing’s Green T. Bath House Residence.
By Mary Scoviak
From the Spring 2010 print edition of Hospitality Style
For years, Zhang Jin Jie (better known as JinR) had a mental picture of the guest accommodation she wanted to complement her trendsetting Green T. House restaurant and its lifestyle destination sister, Green T. Living in Beijing. It took shape when she saw the black marble bath of a Tang emperor’s concubine in Xian. In the minimalist elegance of that 1,400-year-old space, she found not only the column-free layout and flexible functionality perfectly suited to modern guests’ multi-tasking lifestyles but the catalyst for truly original thinking about guest room design. It all came together in the 16,000-sq.-ft. Green T. Bath House Residence, which opened last summer on the Green T. complex’s park-like grounds.
What makes this design so seminal is the fact that JinR didn’t just rearrange the standard guestroom components. “This is living space,” says the classically trained musician turned restaurant owner/chef, designer and, now, hotelier. “Living is eating, bathing, drinking, meditating. There is no strict separation.”
To keep sight lines as clear as possible, the typical Tang-referenced roof structure was re-engineered to reduce the need for interior architectural piers. Contractors stretched their creativity to create sustainable energy solutions to heat and cool such large spaces efficiently. “Construction management and working so far out of the box required hundreds of hours of face time with contractors and suppliers,” she says. “This project took everyone beyond their norms.”
JinR used the sheer scope of the free-flowing floor plan to introduce a few heroically scaled statements that would draw guests through the space without dictating how they used it. A 39-ft. communal dining table carved from a single tree trunk sits at the heart of this luxury villa. And, yes, this home-away-from-home has a hearth in the form of massive fireplace. The sensual pleasures of preparing and sharing food are purposely on display in the open kitchen. Even this hard-working area makes a design contribution with the solid slab of unhewn stone that serves as the countertop.
She drives home the point that this isn’t just another handsome villa with a plunge pool on the terrace. Like the architects of the bath house in Xian, JinR wraps the interior around the shimmering surface of an oval bathtub scooped from the main floor’s jet black stone floor. But there’s more to living and to zen bathing than one beautiful pool. So JinR tucked an open stair along a side wall, inviting guests to investigate a rooftop terrace with a Jacuzzi that seats up to 20, a circulating mineral spring bath and a serene waterfall. “We wanted the details to unfold as guests explore the space for the first time or after numerous visits,” says JinR.
Guests won’t have to worry about predictability. Green T. Bath House Residence signals a new approach to keeping design consistent without making it repetitive. JinR continues to introduce different details that are in keeping with the New China tea culture aesthetic, mixing antiques with modern pieces and blending elements from China, Italy and the United States. But there is a common thread provided by a foundation of design statements: screens, classic furniture, natural elements and lanterns.
“I like the generous contrast of the space played against the minute attention to detail,” JinR says. She could say the same of the aesthetic balance between China’s past and present. “My love of the Tang dynasty emanates from a love of simplicity, which is the heart of tea culture in China. The overriding theme is integration, whether in the various aspects of the space or the use of historical design themes with a contemporary twist.”
Green T. Bath House Residence is also about customization. Since design doesn’t direct activity, guests can create their own experiences. Space that might be set up for a signature Green T. Scrub in the morning can transition to a venue for a live performance in the evening. Although the residence accepts only one booking per night, that could be for a couple seeking a romantic interlude or parties of up to eight. Even the sleeping arrangements are novel, with options like an imperial four-poster or contemporary lofts.
“What designers can apply to any project is the integrative attention to all of the senses as we did with tea music, tea cuisine, tea treatments and tea design. Tea is the main factor that informs not only our treatments, but our way of looking at everything from treatments to Chinese design aesthetics,” she says.