Lolly Laputan Kids Café by Wutopia Lab: 2019 Best of Year Winner for Kids’ Zone
When the 9-year-old daughter of Wutopia Lab founders Yu Ting and Min Erni drew a picture of a magical land one morning, it spurred the architect couple to action. We want to make that a reality, they decided. The opportunity to do so came from two clients: PACEE Education, which provides STEAM programs to Chinese youth, and Fairyland, a restaurant group. The companies joined forces to open China’s first educational family restaurant: Lolly Laputan Kids Café, a 6,200-square-foot kid-centric food and amusement venue in the northeastern port city of Dalian, China.
Beckoning from behind the painted-aluminum facade perforated in a dotty pattern is a circular reception that leads to the main zone, Cloudy Town: an expansive room with dining booths, a carousel, slide, and ball pit—and named for the fluffy white-acrylic “clouds” on the floor and ceiling. “It’s a world somewhere between dream and reality,” Yu explains. The fanciful elements are clear; reality, meanwhile, is introduced by a plywood hut with a replica produce stand and faux kitchenette where kids can act grown-up.
Project Team: Shengrui Pu; Mingshuai Li; Song Liu; Xueqin Jiang.
> See more from the December/January 2020 issue of Interior Design
