In Valencia, Spain, design studio Clap Studio created a restaurant that transforms dinner into an immersive visual journey. Named Baovan, the project was inspired by the adventurous lifestyle of its founders, whose travels across Asia, America, and Africa helped shape both the brand and its identity.
The restaurant was created for a team that first launched an artisanal bao delivery business before pursuing their dream of opening a dedicated bao restaurant in Valencia. Working from the brand’s slogan, “Beach, beers and baos,” Clap Studio designed an interior that transports guests from the city to the feeling of spending an evening by the sea.
Instead of relying on traditional restaurant design, the studio built a sequence of spaces that unfold one after another, allowing visitors to discover the experience step by step.
Entering Through the Forest
The journey begins before guests even step inside.
Baovan’s light green facade introduces the first chapter of the experience, known as “the forest.” Here, a porch filled with ropes hanging from the ceiling creates the impression of dense vegetation. The installation softens the transition between the street and the restaurant, encouraging visitors to move through the space as though they are entering another landscape.
The ropes create texture, movement, and curiosity, offering just a glimpse of what lies beyond.
Discovering the Beach Beneath the Clouds
After passing through the forest, guests arrive at the second area, where the atmosphere shifts dramatically.
Sandy-colored walls evoke the feeling of a beach, while overhead, the ceiling becomes a blanket of clouds floating above the dining space. The contrast between soft earth tones and lighter overhead elements creates a dreamlike environment that feels far removed from the urban streets outside.
Throughout the interior, changing colors reference both water and sky, reinforcing the coastal inspiration behind the project. Light reflects across the cloud-like ceiling, helping the room evolve throughout the evening.
A Sunset That Lasts Through Dinner
The most striking feature appears in the third and final area of the restaurant.
A large half-moon-shaped screen immediately captures attention. Programmed by Vitamin Studio, the installation recreates the colors of a sunset, gradually changing throughout the evening. The timing of the display is synchronized with the length of a dinner service, allowing guests to experience an entire sunset while they dine.
As the colors shift across the screen, reflections move throughout the space, adding another layer of atmosphere. The installation becomes more than a decorative feature. It acts as a dynamic backdrop that changes the mood of the room over time.
Dining Beneath the Moonlight
Hidden within this final area is an intimate private dining room designed for ten guests.
Here, the sunset experience transitions into moonlight. The smaller space offers a more secluded setting while continuing the visual language found throughout the restaurant. Circular and crescent-shaped elements appear throughout the room, referencing the shape of bao bread while also reinforcing the celestial theme established by the sunset installation.
These recurring forms help tie together the restaurant’s narrative, connecting the food, lighting, and interior architecture into a single experience.
Baovan is more than a place to eat. Through a sequence of immersive spaces, Clap Studio transforms a simple dinner into a visual journey that moves from forest to beach, sunset, and finally moonlight.
By combining theatrical lighting, sculptural installations, and references to the restaurant’s signature bao buns, the Valencia project creates an experience that stays with visitors long after the meal is over.