Located in Hong Kong, Mother Pearl is a 32 square metre mini tea house open to the street. The space, designed by A Work of Substance collective, is dedicated to the sale of bubble tea – the Taiwanese beverage made with tapioca pearls. Mother Pearl is a natural, vegan tea room, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, providing an alternative to the traditional bubble tea scenario in Asia. 

The room seems to be carved into the wall like a niche and is characterised by soft contours and pastel colours. The interior is defined by a cladding of irregular terracotta bricks that entirely cover the space, adding materiality and uniformity, and by a series of light bubbles on the ceiling in a reference to the product on sale.

An opening at the back serves as a counter, while outside, on the street, an olive green wall frames the tea house, contrasting with the predominant terracotta tone.