4 New Design-Led Spaces to Relax in This Summer

With the dog days of summer in full swing, relaxation becomes the name of the game in a season where the oppressive heat and the drowsiness that follows stymie any attempt at productivity. In this case, the appropriate course of action is to surrender and retreat to one of these four architectural gems to while away the height of the summer in well-appointed surroundings. Comprised of a Zen tea chamber, a tropical resort, a bar/restaurant, and a hidden sauna room, check out our selection below.

Ding Hui Yuan Zen & Tea Chamber

Formerly a factory-turned-office building, this ’70s-era Beijing compound received yet another gutting to transform it into a modern temple dedicated to the art of tea. Designed to invoke inner calm, the building incorporates a 100-square-meter inner Zen courtyard, around which shallow ramp-like stairs force visitors to slow down and reflect, while a slatted exterior facade creates beautifully dappled natural lighting throughout the building. Within its chambers, Eastern simplicity reigns — ornamentation is minimal, save for select relics on display, while calming, atmospheric lighting and round windows communicate Zen values of wholeness and harmony.

Katamama

Created by the PTT Family of Potato Head Beach Club fame, Katamama is the group’s first venture into the hotel industry and cuts a striking figure amidst the lush tropical environs of Bali. Taking inspiration from geometric modernist architecture of the ’60s and ’70s, architect Andra Matin also ventured to incorporate the Balinese building practice of tri angga, a philosophy where the spatial structure is in harmony with the environment and its inhabitants. Featuring the predominant use of hand-laid brick, teak and timber within its suites, which are similarly populated with locally crafted artisanal furnishings, the resort complex proves a raw, earthy counterpoint to the thick rainforest that surrounds it.

Bar Botanique Cafe Tropique

As playful as its name suggests, Bar Botanique Cafe Tropique is Amsterdam’s newest watering hole in every sense of the word — it is, after all, inspired by a rose-tinted, colonial-era conception of the tropics. Bathed in a rich shade of palm green, the establishment’s interior is furnished by whimsical geometric mirrors hanging down from the ceiling reflect natural light onto the philodendron-ridden walls. The restaurant’s double-height windows flood the interior with natural light during the day, while Studio Modijefsky masterfully manipulated the lighting at night to create a warmer and more intimate environment for after-hours drinks.

Apfelsauna

Half-buried in an inconspicuous mound in a northern Italian apple farm is the Apfelsauna, or Apple Sauna — part of the Hotel Torgglerhof in Saltaus. Conceived by noa* network of architecture, the spa and sauna reflects the yearly cycle of the apple harvest, from bloom and harvest through to the processing and rest periods. Built into the grass-covered hill, sauna-goers are literally swallowed by the earth into an intimate interior, where a miniature amphitheater-like layout allows users to gaze upon the apple field in sweat-inducing contemplation. The use of earth-colored concrete and unvarnished timber slats adds to this all-natural aesthetic.