Edge Architects used plywood to turn Yusan Cafe’s nondescript concrete shell into a cluster of individual cabins.

Rather than sitting at shared tables and benches, visitors to this coffee shop in Yunnan’s Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture can sip their drinks from the privacy of their own ‘tiny home’. Edge Architects squeezed 13 of these plywood huts into what was previously little more than a ‘square box’, creating a sense of rhythm and discovery in the cafe.

These cabins form openings in the coffee shop’s concrete facade and populate its courtyard. Cut-out windows, pitched roofs, sofas, floor lamps and chairs make the spaces feel very much like holiday cabins.

Edge Architect’s plywood theme runs throughout the cafe, with coffee served from a counter within a wooden cabin. The studio says using these forms creates a ‘layered’ experience for visitors, producing a ‘rich and interesting’ space to explore.

Jihe Lane, Eryuan County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China

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