In the heart of Nanjing’s bustling urban landscape, the 7th-floor dining area of Deji Plaza Phase I has undergone a transformative renovation by X+Living, blurring the boundaries between commercial space and natural oasis. The acclaimed design studio, known for its imaginative retail and hospitality projects, has reimagined the traditional food court as a breathable, linger-worthy garden, where architecture and landscape intertwine to create a poetic urban retreat.
The X+Living design team took inspiration from the concept of “bringing nature into the commercial public area,” employing strategies like dome restructuring, functional scene-making, and garden-like circulation to craft an immersive experience. The secondary atrium, once capped with a flat ceiling, now features an arched transparent skylight—its steel frame mimicking the delicate veins of leaves. Sunlight filters through, casting dynamic light spots that evoke the organic growth of moss in a greenhouse. A spiral staircase, resembling climbing vines, connects the floors, serving as both a functional pathway and a sculptural centerpiece—a signature touch of X+Living’s narrative-driven approach.
Architectural construction of a three-dimensional landscape plays a pivotal role in X+Living’s design. The space is orchestrated like a living ecosystem, with an 8-meter-tall banyan tree anchoring the composition. Mid-level jacarandas and traveler’s palms form a translucent vertical screen, while lower layers of begonias and Philodendron bipinnatifidum weave through the seating areas. This stepped plant hierarchy, ranging from 20 centimeters to 8 meters, creates a rhythmic spatial narrative. To address structural constraints, X+Living artfully blended real and artificial plants, achieving both visual depth and practicality—a testament to the studio’s innovative problem-solving.
The seating arrangement further dissolves the rigidity of conventional food courts. Long benches curve around greenery, their undulating forms fostering intimate enclaves, while arc-shaped lounge chairsencourage leisurely pauses. The “urban living room” concept extends the restaurant’s service radius into public zones, inviting diners to enjoy meals under dappled shade or along meandering paths. Here, socializing, dining, and resting coexist organically, transforming the space into a vibrant public theater where commercial intent fades into the background—a hallmark of X+Living’s human-centric designs.
As sunlight spills through the foliage and conversations blend with rustling leaves, the 7th-floor dining area of Deji Plaza transcends its functional role. X+Living has crafted it into a carrier of public emotion, a place where time slows and urban efficiency yields to poetic moments. In this three-dimensional garden, the studio has not only revitalized a commercial space but also set a new paradigm for urban hospitality—one where nature and community thrive in harmony.