Tea architecture
Tea Houses
For a home or for a business, built turnkey from the first vision to the first ceremony.
茶室の建築
Silence, made into architecture
Tea architecture is the art of building a space where tea unfolds as a Way. It draws on Japanese aesthetics, Chinese tradition and the Zen principle of simplicity.
Proportions turn attention inward. Natural materials invite the hand. Light and shadow slow the pace, and silence becomes the background for real conversation.
In a house full of movement, a Tea House is a point of stillness. In a full schedule, a minute of clarity. In negotiations, a place where trust is born.
Principles
Six principles of a Tea House
01
Ma · 間
A tea room is never overfilled. What is left empty lets everything else resonate.
02
Natural materials
Wood, stone, paper, textile and clay. Living, breathing, timeless.
03
Wabi-sabi · 侘寂
The traces of time and of the hand that made each object.
04
Light and shadow
Soft, diffused light. Shadow, where depth is born.
05
Silence
Sound, acoustics and instruments chosen so you can hear your breath and the taste of tea.
06
Order
Every object has its place. The space lives in a rhythm of cleanliness and care.
Our Tea Houses
Building 100 Tea Houses of the 21st century
For a home
A quiet island inside a full life
- A place for a morning ritual
- Deep conversations with family and friends
- Solitude to read, write, play and listen
- A library where tea is poured, not only thoughts
For a business
A place where trust is born
- Offices: meetings, negotiations, strategy
- Restaurants and hotels: a private tea experience
- Yoga studios and retreat centres
- Clubs, showrooms and galleries
We turn an existing room into a Tea House, build one into your project, or build a separate Tea House on your land.
Turnkey
One studio, the whole Tea House
Beyond the space itself, we create its visual identity and tea menu, help hire and train the team, and shape the business process so the Tea House lives and runs on its own.
How we create it
1 · Vision
We study your home or project, your way of life and your philosophy, and propose a concept.
2 · Design
Layout, atmosphere, colours and materials.
3 · Craft and sourcing
Tables and furniture made in our studio; teaware, tools and tea chosen for the space.
4 · Installation
Delivery, building works where needed, and the setting of the space.
5 · Training
How to hold ceremonies, care for the tools and serve guests; training for your team.
6 · Care
Tea and supplies, new practices, and our guidance as the Tea House lives on.
How to begin
Your Tea House
Timeline and price
Vision: from $1,500.
Full turnkey project: from $14,000 to $150,000, including design, sourcing, furniture, tools, tea, delivery and training.
One to six months, anywhere in the world.
The first step
You write to us. We meet, in person or online, to understand your wishes and your space. Then we create the design and begin building.
Experience it first
Come to a tea ceremony in our Tea House on Bali and feel the form and spirit of tea architecture for yourself.
