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When you live in a fast-paced city and are under constant pressure, do you always feel like “I really want to escape” in your heart? But even after you return home from get off work, you will find that this feeling has not dissipated. If you want to find a place to take a breath, maybe RuRu will be a good choice.
▼Project video, Video
When you live in a fast-paced city overwhelmed by constant pressures, don’t you sometimes feel an urge to “escape”? Yet even after returning home from work, that feeling lingers. If you’re looking for a place to catch your breath, RuRu Café may be the perfect spot.
▼The café with white walls and gray roof tiles © Lihao
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01 Return to the mountains and wilderness
01 Yield to Nature
Located in Qingpu Village, Shanghai, RuRu Village Cafe did not choose to catch people’s attention with strong designs, but instead returned the home court to the metasequoias and streams in front of them. When Gu Yi’s team built this place, they didn’t think about making complicated shapes, show off their skills, or even make customized plans. The idea is simple: let design take a backseat to nature, respect the original mountains, rivers and trees of the land, and regard the native natural resources as the biggest shining point of the space.
▼gooood’s self-made 2-minute introduction video, Introduction video
Nestled in a village of Qingpu, Shanghai, RuRu Café does not rely on bold, eye-catching design. Instead, the space gives center stage to the metasequoia trees and streams. While creating this space, Gu Yi’s team avoided elaborate forms and deliberate technical flair, and did not even adopt customized solutions. The vision was simple: let design step back behind nature, respect the land’s original mountains, waters and woods, and treat these native natural resources as the space’s greatest highlight.
▼The waterside setting © Lihao
▼Mist and walks in the metasequoia grove, Mist and walks in the metasequoia grove © Lihao
02 A window with fir trees
02 Window to the Woods
The long horizontal window opposite the cafe bar is the highlight of the entire space. There are no extra decorations, just simple window frames, bringing the large metasequoia forest into view.
The horizontal long window opposite the café bar serves as the finishing touch of the entire space. Free of redundant decorations, it uses a simple frame to bring the vast metasequoia forest into view.
▼The café and its long window © Lihao
▼The café beneath exposed roof trusses © Lihao
▼The long horizontal window facing the grove © Lihao
It seems that you can’t tell how special it is to just stare at a window view, but when you raise your eyes and look beyond the window to the naturally flowing metasequoia forest scene, you unknowingly leave behind your worries and feel that life is still so simple and stable.
It may be hard to pinpoint exactly what makes this window view so extraordinary. Yet when you look up and gaze through the window at the ever-shifting living painting of metasequoia trees, worries slip away unconsciously, leaving you with a sense that life remains simple and tranquil.
▼Conversation by the window,
Conversation beside the window © Lihao
▼Looking towards the grove through the long window © Lihao
▼The metasequoia grove beyond the window © Lihao
▼Everyday life at the bar © Lihao
▼Coffee moments beside the window © Lihao
03 A quiet corner in the countryside
03 Rural Retreat
Here you can find a variety of ways to relax. In addition to the main coffee area, there are also private rooms, tea rooms, and healing spaces.
Here, visitors can find a variety of ways to unwind. Besides the main coffee area, there are private rooms, a tea chamber and a healing space.
▼Overview of a private room © Lihao
▼Furniture and doorway in the private rooms © Lihao
▼Timber and soft light in the tea chambers © Lihao
▼Sliding panels and light in the tea chamber © Lihao
▼Overview of the healing space, Overview of the healing space © Lihao
▼The healing space facing the grove © Lihao
▼The healing space and singing bowl, The healing space and singing bowl © Lihao
There is an outdoor lounge area with lounge chairs and a promenade facing the metasequoia forest. When you are tired, you can sit down, rest and look at the scenery. Every evening, egrets often fly into the metasequoia forest. The birds, woods, and evening breeze interweave into a romantic scene unique to this place.
Outdoors lie lounge zones with recliners and a promenade facing directly the metasequoia forest. When tired, one may pause, take a seat and admire the scenery. As dusk falls, egrets often fly into the metasequoia grove. Birds, woodland and evening breeze weave a romantic scene unique to this place.
▼The promenade facing the grove, the promenade facing the grove © Lihao
▼ Resting spaces along the promenade and water / The view from a private room © Lihao
04 Cute friends accompany you
04 Pet-friendly Haven
Come here, little animals will always have a place. Many customers bring their own pets, and the store also takes in stray kittens and puppies in the surrounding areas, and even sets aside a small room as a nursery for the pups. The adults enjoy a refreshing cup of coffee while the little ones also have delicious freeze-dried snacks.
Visitors will find a welcoming place for animals here. Many guests bring their pets along. The café also takes in stray cats and dogs from the neighborhood, and has set aside a separate small room as a nursery for young animals. While people savor a refreshing cup of coffee, the pets get tasty freeze-dried treats as snacks.
▼Dogs at the entrance © Lihao
▼A guest and a pet resting on the promenade © Lihao
▼Outdoor cat houses and their residents © Lihao
Many people choose to work here, so they don’t have to strain their nerves to catch up with progress. The notebooks are spread out beside the table. When you look up, you can see the shadow of the swaying trees. From time to time, small animals slowly walk by. The originally boring time at the desk also relaxes.
Quite a few people choose to work here without the pressure to rush through tasks. With laptops open on the table, they can lift their eyes to swaying tree shadows. Small animals wander past from time to time, softening the monotony of desk work.
▼The kitten in the cedar forest,
A cat in the metasequoia grove © Lihao
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05 Four Seasons Scenery
05 Seasons & Scenery
On a sunny day, the sun shines through the leaves; on a rainy day, the mist spreads through the fir forest, and everything is quiet. In different weather and at different times, there are different scenery outside the window. Many people can’t help but come to RuRu “N Brush”. Regular customers say: Staying here is like returning to a carefree summer vacation. There is no need to rush, there are coffee and delicious food, furry children, and mountains and wild scenery as far as the eye can see.
On sunny days, sunlight filters through the leaves; on rainy days, mist drifts across the metasequoia grove, wrapping everything in quiet serenity. The view outside the window shifts with the weather and time of day. Many visitors keep coming back to RuRu Café repeatedly. Regulars say staying here feels like returning to a carefree summer vacation. There is no rush, only coffee, food, furry companions and mountain scenery stretching as far as the eye can see.
▼The waterside at dusk at dusk © Lihao
▼The promenade and tree shadows, The promenade and tree shadows © Lihao
▼Light and shadow beside the window © Lihao
The Wushe team did not pursue the Internet celebrity feeling, and retained the original white walls and gray tiles of the old house. Dark logs were used indoors with warm light, and the shadows of trees and water outside the window enriched the entire space.
Not A Studio did not chase an internet-famous aesthetic. They preserved the original white walls and gray tiles of the old building. Inside, dark timber is paired with warm lighting, and the space is enriched by the shadows of trees and glimmers of water from outside the window.
▼Sunlight on a timber table © Lihao
▼Interior light, shadows and a round table © Lihao
▼Light filtering through a screen © Lihao
▼Timber wall finishes, niches and doorways, Timber wall finishes, niches and doorways © Lihao
The meaning of RuRu is far more than just a place to drink coffee. Subsequent venues will also undertake small team building, various theme activities, etc. The design team does not want to make it a check-in point that will become outdated after becoming popular, but hopes that it can take root firmly in Qingpu Village. Whether it is people coming to work, local neighbors walking their pets, friends passing by on bicycles, or visitors coming from afar, everyone is welcome to come. Maybe when you recall the summer of a certain year, even just an ordinary afternoon here to drink coffee and relax will become the most unforgettable moment in this season and the moment you want to come back again.
RuRu Café means far more than merely a spot for coffee and check-ins. The venue will later host small team-building sessions and various themed events. Not A Studio did not intend to create a fleeting internet sensation that fades quickly. Instead, they hope it can take firm root in this Qingpu village. Everyone is welcome, whether remote workers, local residents out walking their pets, cyclists passing by, or visitors traveling a long way to come. When you look back on a summer one year, that ordinary afternoon spent sipping coffee and daydreaming here may turn out to be the most unforgettable moment of the season, one that makes you long to return.
▼Looking at the night view through the cedar forest,
An evening view through the grove © Lihao
▼The café at night © Lihao
▼Wind chimes in the forest,
Wind chimes among the trees © Lihao
▼Cafe and courtyard plan,
Café and courtyard plan © 无码Architecture
▼Tea room and restaurant plan,
Tea rooms and dining room plan © 无码Architecture
▼Multifunctional space plane,
Multifunctional space plan © 无码Architecture
-Project information-
Project name: RuRu Village Cafe
Design Office: Wushe Architecture
Design team: Gu Yi, Gong Jiayue, Su Meina, Wan Ruxue, Shu Ke, Gao Feng
Design content: architecture (reinforcement + bureau reform), interior, courtyard, soft decoration, visual, cultural and creative
Project area: 990m²
Project address: No. 283-1, Longtanbin Road, Qingpu District, Shanghai
Completion date: 2026.05
Project type: Coffee shop + meditation space complex
Main materials: stucco, stone, old wooden boards, wood veneer, washed stone, gold bricks, asphalt tiles
Engineering unit: Shanghai Ziguan Architectural Decoration Co., Ltd.
Floral team: Mo Dai Studio
Space Photography: Lihao
Project Information
Project Name: RuRu Café
Design Firm: Not A Studio
Design Team: Gu Yi, Gong Jiayue, Su Meina, Wan Ruxue, Shu Ke, Gao Feng
Design Scope: Building (reinforcement & partial renovation), Interior, Courtyard, Furnishings, Visual Identity, Cultural & Creative Products
Project Area: 990 m²
Project Address: No. 283-1 Longtanbin Road, Qingpu District, Shanghai
Completion Date: May 2026
Project Type: Mixed-use Complex of Café and Meditation Space
Main Materials: Stucco, Stone, Reclaimed Wood Planks, Wood Veneer, Washed Stone, Antique Bricks, Asphalt Shingles
Construction Company: Shanghai Ziguan Architectural Decoration Co., Ltd.
Floral Design: Modai Studio
Photography: Lihao
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