Yu Yuan | Wallpaper*

Stylish interior of Yu Yuan restaurant — (Image credit: press)

Hong Kong-based architect Andre Fu, has reinterpreted one of the most famous ancient rock gardens - built in Suzhou in the 14th Century - for a modern Chinese restaurant in Seoul’s newly opened Four Seasons hotel.

Fu says his intention was to create a ‘poetic journey’ through the 5,800 square meter space. ‘It has the texture and poetry of a rock garden but presented in a very modern way,’ he explains. Here, subtle references to the classic landscape are interwoven in an earthy colour and material palette featuring pale green emerald lacquer, rich brushed brass and cloud-like patterned marble that hints at classic ethereal Chinese ink paintings. The muted effect is offset by decorative flourishes including a strikingly contemporary tree branch wall sculpture created by Korean artist Lee Gill Rae and Fu’s elegantly simple take on the traditional Chinese knot, a graphic motif that is given a new twist in tall 3-dimensional lattice screens placed between tables. Meanwhile, a dramatic modern Tea Bar carved from a light grey marble intershot with dark racing green swirls and topped with meticulously groomed Bonsai trees takes centre stage.

We’d recommend reserving one of the seven generously sized private dining salons for a glimpse of the designer’s custom-design ceiling pendants of curved crystal rods, the perfect modern counterbalance to Yu Yuan’s signature dish, a wonderfully crisp Peking Duck.

ADDRESS

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul
97 Saemunan-ro
Jongno-gu
Seoul

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Catherine Shaw is a writer, editor and consultant specialising in architecture and design. She has written and contributed to over ten books, including award-winning monographs on art collector and designer Alan Chan, and on architect William Lim's Asian design philosophy. She has also authored books on architect André Fu, on Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu, and on Beijing-based OPEN Architecture's most significant cultural projects across China.