The Baovan Restaurant project in Valencia, designed by Clap Studio, develops an immersive hospitality experience inspired by surf culture, travel and coastal atmospheres. Created from the founders’ idea of opening the first artisanal bao restaurant in the Spanish city, the concept translates the brand claim — “Beers, beach and baos” — into a multisensory environment shaped through light, colour and organic forms.
The interior design interprets the theme of a beach sunset through a narrative path that guides users across different yet visually connected spaces.
A hospitality concept between beach, sunset and immersive atmosphere
The aim of the project was to transport visitors into an environment connected to the sea and relaxation, recreating the experience of watching a sunset on the beach while enjoying handmade baos. For this reason, Clap Studio organized the restaurant into three distinct areas progressively revealed along the customer journey.
The entrance introduces “the forest”, a space characterized by suspended ropes descending from the ceiling and simulating dense vegetation. After crossing this first area, visitors enter the main restaurant space, conceived as a beach immersed in sunset tones.
Lighting design and immersive installations
The focal point of the project is the large half-moon-shaped screen developed together with Vitamin Studio. The digital installation reproduces the colours of a sunset and is programmed to synchronize with the duration of the dinner service.
The lighting design plays a central role in shaping the atmosphere of the restaurant. On the ceiling, a cloud-like installation reflects the changing lights generated by the digital sunset, creating a dynamic and immersive environment.
Organic forms and custom furniture at Baovan Restaurant
The interior uses a continuous chromatic duality recalling the relationship between water and land. Rounded and crescent shapes are repeated throughout the project, taking inspiration from the form of bao bread.
This visual language appears in the openings connecting interior and exterior, in the lighting installations and in the chairs exclusively designed for the restaurant. Furniture elements therefore contribute directly to the narrative identity of the space.
A hospitality experience between storytelling and sensory design
Baovan interprets the contemporary restaurant as an experiential environment where interior design, lighting and branding build a coherent narrative. Through immersive installations, dynamic lighting and custom furniture, the project transforms food consumption into a perceptive experience connected to travel, the sea and the atmosphere of sunset.
Project information
Location: Valencia, Spain
Design: Clap Studio
Photos courtesy: Daniel Rueda
by AN Shopfitting Magazine no.169 ©