My Neighbourhood: Chengdu, China

House of Bohn’s creative director finds fresh inspiration in this bustling Sichuan city.

Working on a three-storey penthouse project this past spring brought House of Bohn creative director Karin Bohn all the way to Chengdu, China, Sichuan’s capital city and home to sizzling hot pot, ancient architecture and (most importantly) some seriously cuddly critters.

1. Eat Street

The Jinli street market of Chengdu is full of food vendors you would never find in Vancouver. It’s amazing to watch them cook because every movement is so theatrical. My favourite is the sweet rice balls.

2. Bamboo Buds

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has the world’s most successful research facility for captive panda breeding. It’s hilarious, and adorable, to watch them curl up on their bums and munch stacks of bamboo for hours.

3. Door Stop

I like to walk around taking pictures of all the amazing hand-carved and -painted doors in Kuan Alley. They are a beautiful representation of the city’s culture and give me tons of ideas for details in my projects.

4. Design Temple

AvroKO is one of my favourite design firms, so it was amazing to visit the Temple House Bar they designed. The amount of customization in everything they do, from the light fixtures to the patterns in the floor tile, is so inspiring to see. No detail in the design is overlooked.

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