rishi tea retail space
2024 | time frame: 14 weeks
imagining a brick and mortar for rishi tea, celebrating slow living through the essence of tea by exploring its botanical origins.
rishi tea was founded on the commitment to set the standard for quality and expand the awareness of exceptional tea and its rich, inspirational tradition.
selling over 150 different types of tea, rishi tea welcomes people to be familiar with the horticultural aspects of tea, emphasizing both culture and community.
rishi tea
how can we escape the cult of efficiency?
more than 4 in 10 U.S. workers don't take all their paid time off.
(pew research center)
“The modern man thinks that everything ought to be done for the sake of something else, and never for its own sake.”
- Bertrand Russell
focusing on healing the overworked
through these keywords:
from the leaf
ephemeral
renewal
how can we foster emotional connection through tea?
location: row dtla
located on the edge of the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles, ROW DTLA is a 30-acre urban enclave made for bold creatives and emerging entrepreneurs. serving as a vibrant hub with unique boutiques and restaurants, ROW DTLA is curated to appeal to the upcoming generation.
this newly reimagined rishi tea retail space would reside right alongside these distinct store experiences, offering a renewal space for this younger, overworked population.
orthographics
circulation inspriation:
the tea cycle
-
ORIGIN
-
WARMTH
-
RENEWAL
-
COMMUNITY
1. ORIGIN
2. WARMTH
3. RENEWAL
4. COMMUNITY
1. ORIGIN: PICKING FLOWERS
the first phase of this retail store focuses on the natural origins of tea - from the leaf.
celebrating the plants used in rishi tea's different types of blends, visitors are welcomed to pick fresh flowers to place in the communal garden.
2. WARMTH: PICKING SPICES
the second phase of this retail store focuses on the drying process for tea. celebrating the dried elements used in rishi tea's different types of blends, visitors are welcomed to pick spices to place in the communal garden.
3. RENEWAL: THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER
the third phase of this retail store focuses on the soaking process of tea.
this moment in the tea cycle reminds us to slow down, inviting presence as we steep tea and we steep ourselves in stillness. this section of the boutique encourages visitors to move slowly, carrying that sense of quiet renewal as they walk alongside the sounds of trickling water.
4. COMMUNITY: THE GARDEN
the final phase of this retail store focuses on how bring tea brings community. after gathering the different elements throughout the boutique, visitors are invited to add them to the community garden - a representation of how tea brings us together.
vignettes depicting the
retail experience
