century-old courtyard villa in vietnam revives as matte teabar flagship

"Rather than introducing prominent signage or bright lighting, the entrance is marked by a small swinging sign featuring a green. The gesture references the many cats commonly seen in the area and integrates the teahouse visually into the everyday life of the alley."

"The design approach preserves the open-air character of the while introducing seating arranged in low stools and flexible groupings. This configuration references the spatial culture of Vietnamese street, where informal seating arrangements support conversation and social interaction."

"Monolithic blocks define the bar counter and internal partitions, creating a clear contrast between the smooth surfaces of the new interventions and the textured masonry of the historic structure. This strategy allows the original architecture to remain visible while establishing new spatial organization for the teahouse."

Matte Teabar Flagship, designed by The Lab Saigon, converts a historic French villa in Ho Chi Minh City into a contemporary teahouse while maintaining architectural character and neighborhood harmony. The entrance features a subtle green cat sign referencing local wildlife rather than prominent signage. An outdoor garden courtyard preserves existing vegetation and uses low stools and flexible seating arrangements inspired by Vietnamese street culture, creating a gradual transition from the alley to interior spaces. Inside, exposed brick walls and timber roof structures reveal the building's historic fabric. New monolithic blocks define the bar counter and partitions, creating visual contrast between smooth contemporary surfaces and textured historic masonry. This design strategy maintains visibility of original architecture while establishing new spatial organization for the teahouse.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine