Once a run-of-the-mill factory built in the 1990s, Hongfang Industrial Park is Fuzhou’s attempt to rebrand itself as a design centre, the former buildings stealthily repurposed as creative incubators and hotbeds for industrial design and modernised lacquer production.
It’s fitting then that Xie Suting, the Design Director of DC. Design, has created a French patisserie that looks more like an upmarket furniture retailer than a place that serves up a mean chocolate éclair and millefeuilles.
The bones of the former plant are barely visible, save for the original high ceilings which now incorporate floor-to-ceiling windows, and a second level which features a solid black rimmed vitrine that floats out over the striking white and grey space – the latter dressed with low-slung tables and angular mid-century-inspired furniture.
As it turns out, the unadorned monochromatic palette is a subtle ploy to allow pastry chef Xiao Liwen’s sweetly colourful creations to take centre stage.
ADDRESS
Hongfang Creative Park
No. 7 Jinzhen Road
Cangshan District
Fuzhou
-
You may know it as ‘Dirty House’ – now, The Rogue Room brings 21st-century wellness to ShoreditchThe Rogue Room – set in the building formerly known as Dirty House by Sir David Adjaye, now reinvented by Studioshaw – bridges wellness and culture in London's Shoreditch
-
A local’s guide to Paris by Art Basel newcomer Ash LoveVisual artist Ash Love shares their essential addresses in the French capital as the city hosts the art fair’s fourth edition
-
The Alfa Romeo Junior and the ups and downs of modern automotive brand buildingCompact, sporty and neat, with over a century of heritage to contend with, the Alfa Romeo Junior is a flawed but fascinating EV
-
A discreet bolthole adds historic charm to Chongqing’s skyscraper jumbleWith a landscape bristling with gleaming towers, Sunyata Ren’ai Hall Hotel quietly emerges as the Chinese city’s most design-forward stay
-
Discover a futuristic bar in Shanghai with mad-scientist energyPenicillin opens in Shanghai with a clinical steel and concrete design by LC Studio alongside trailblazing, sustainable cocktails
-
A colossal ‘ship’ in Shanghai honours Louis Vuitton’s travel legacyLouis Vuitton’s The Louis is an OMA-designed hub combining retail, culture and dining in the heart of Nanjing West Road
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the worldCelebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
Prada and Wong Kar-wai dream up a cinematic restaurant in ShanghaiPrada partners with Wong Kar-wai to bring Mi Shang Rong Zhai to life, a dining experience influenced by the arthouse director’s seminal oeuvre
-
Enjoy heritage views and contemporary brews at a new Beijing caféJM Café, White Pagoda Temple by B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio nods to the history of the Xicheng District while injecting a shot of vitality
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designThere’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
China’s Alila Shanghai hotel is a stylish hub of idle tranquillityAlila Shanghai, the brand's first urban resort in Greater China, is a serene bolthole amidst the pulse of the Jing'an district
