Qingshe×COCO-MAT

“The most regretful thing in 2019 is that I missed the opportunity to say goodbye to Stella when I left Greece. I am so sad because I have no confidence that I can see her again. This reminds me of those , I just missed some opportunities and never met again. Thinking of this, I can’t help but feel sad.”

Stella was born and raised in Athens and has worked at COCO-MAT, so it is naturally the best fit. The ground pick-up candidate

I ended my trip to Greece in June and left Beijing in August. Now I have arrived in Nantes, France, which is completely unfamiliar to me.

When everything started from scratch, I seemed to have some free time and the time to review everything that happened in the first half of the year.

Pulling away from familiar places, I re-evaluated the weight of Athens and Beijing in my heart, and even discovered some connections between them. So, listening to Falling From Grace, I recollected the time I spent with COCO-MAT in Greece.

What kind of life does COCO-MAT want to lead?

Honesty, responsibility, hospitality - COCO-MAT wants everyone to live a simple and happy life.

Sometimes, happiness requires a healthy breakfast, rich in protein and vitamins; sometimes, happiness requires a daily ride with nice scenery along the way; sometimes, happiness requires us to open our arms, or Put a smile on your lips...

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What material is COCO-MAT made of?

Cotton, coconut, seaweed, wood, eucalyptus leaves, natural latex, horsehair, linen, goose down, wool, cactus, lavender...

Before human civilization When it appears, lush jungles, misty rivers, and everything is bathed in sunlight. The sunshine and warmth give life the greatest happiness. When there is no technology and artificial intervention, nature is the most beautiful. Nowadays, COCO-MAT is using these most natural materials to carefully protect the pleasure and safety in the bedroom.

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Do we adapt to mattresses? Or does the mattress adapt to us?

It is our body that knows best what is right or wrong. COCO-MAT has developed high-elastic mattresses that can adapt to any shape. Each product is made of multiple layers of natural materials stacked inside without using any metal springs. The harder coconut fiber provides most of the support, while the softer natural latex layer follows the shape of your body and hugs every curve of your body.

COCO-MAT does not want the body to adapt to the mattress, but allows the mattress to respect the body to the greatest extent.

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Why do mattress brands enter the hotel business?

Since its establishment in 1989, COCO-MAT, which hand-makes mattresses with natural materials, has derived various products and become a comprehensively competitive home furnishing brand.

In 2012, COCO-MAT launched its hotel business. On the one hand, they cooperate with hotels that also respect nature to allow guests to experience good natural products; on the other hand, they also run their own hotels. The concept of "protecting nature and health" is followed here, and each hotel is unique and not the same.

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Lost

Lost

Ⅰ

This flight from Beijing to Athens The trip was organized by COCO-MAT, the Chinese partner of the Greek national treasure mattress brand COCO-MAT. The vast group of people spans multiple industries including design, home furnishing, cultural tourism, and media.

For this group of people, the purpose of their trip to Greece seems respectable and unified on the surface, but after a brief chat, it becomes clear that "each has its own agenda."

There are "tourists" who are satisfied with eating, drinking and enjoying the beautiful scenery, there are "scholars" who want to know more about Greece and COCO-MAT, and there are "workaholics" who want to know more about designers...

As for me, I am the "waiter" who thinks I already understand COCO-MAT, but is worried about whether I can find new inspiration and angles during travel and write travel notes that will not disappoint.

In this way, we started this trip with our own thoughts.

Ⅱ

Around this time in 2017, we got to know COCO-MAT. At that time, Qingshe met Paul Efmorfidis, the Greek founder of COCO-MAT, in Beijing. Unexpectedly, we rode more than ten kilometers on the first day we met, which turned us from "meeting people" to "getting to know the brand."

Since then, we have written about this good friend countless times in various reports.

This is why I worked so hard to write this travelogue, and it also gave me a headache - no one wants to repeat the past, we all want to take another step forward.

?12:28 PM, Vari

?13:00 PM, Vouliagmeni

?11:03 AM, Kalivia Thorikou

No matter whether I was worried or not, the moment I stepped onto the land of Greece, I still lost my mind from work. As I walked, I recorded the sky in Greece - the clouds were very high, and occasionally, because of the heavy water vapor, large low clouds appeared together.

I never expected that, despite enduring the sunshine of the Philippines and Thailand on the equator, I would be completely defeated by the sunshine of Greece. When I returned home, my shadow pen became a highlighter - my skin was already three shades darker. Perhaps Greece has such a charm that attracts you to fully expose yourself to the sun and enjoy the warmth. Nothing black and white can be as beautiful as the scenery in front of you.

Ⅲ

This is not the first time Wang Qiuhua, COCO-MAT’s China partner and COCO-MAT manager, has come to the Greek headquarters. He has long been inseparable from this place. But we can also see that this first trip to the Greek headquarters after deciding to open the COCO-MAT hotel business in Beijing always puts him under some unclear pressure.

Home furnishing brands rely on traditional home furnishing stores to open stores, which is still the mainstream of the industry. However, with the gradual expansion of brand formats and the increasing desire of consumers to experience, traditional stores are gradually unable to meet everyone’s demands. .

Mr. Qiu Hua, who studied architecture in his early years, has independent thinking about ideal home and life. He has been working in the domestic market for many years and has never given up his persistence. For this reason, COCO-MAT in the hands of Wang Qiuhua has never entered the traditional home sales scene, and appears more in shopping malls.

The fast pace of life and the fluctuation of people's hearts often lead the mainstream thinking in the city to "go astray". Why do people who can queue up for hours to buy milk tea not take the time to choose a bed for themselves? pad? This sometimes becomes a problem that puzzles both buyers and sellers.

Therefore, Mr. Qiuhua hopes more and more that COCO-MAT stores can break out of the traditional model and find their most appropriate existence, so that consumers can experience comfort, relaxation and peace of mind.

Perhaps one day, it will become a space with comprehensive functions and advocating nature - where you can buy, eat, play, even exercise and entertain, and all of this must be healthy and environmentally friendly It is based on the fragrance of vegetation and sunshine.

It’s just that the perfect business environment is so hard to find. Qiuhua always wanted to find a perfect "Utopia" but could not find it. So in order not to be coerced by capital and not to compromise, he came up with an astonishing idea during his continuous efforts - if he couldn't find a "Utopia" Okay, let’s build a “Utopia”.

Ⅳ

I still remember the cartoon "Rubik's Cube Building" from my childhood. I thought it was a small Rubik's Cube, but unexpectedly it turned into a bizarre building after it fell out of the window. The idea of ??building a COCO-MAT hotel in China was like a "Rubik's Cube Building" in my mind from the beginning. It doesn't look big from the outside, but it's only after exploring that I discovered the mystery.

Sunshine, green plants, COCO-MAT... Mr. Qiu Hua’s imagination and requirements for this hotel under planning are becoming more and more concrete.

All products related to sleep experience here, most of the home products you see, and even the exercise equipment in the gym, are from COCO-MAT. Meals and drinks are also made from natural ingredients, which not only replicate the Greek flavor, but are also combined with Beijing’s seasonal fruits and vegetables.

There is also a COCO-MAT store in the hotel, which has everything from mattresses, sofas, and beds to slippers, towels, and green plants, and you can buy them at any time.

Find

Find

Ⅰ

In this trip, we mainly experienced four COCO-MAT hotels——

COCO-MAT Athens BC

COCO-MAT Athens Jumelle

COCO-MAT Eco Residences Serifos

COCO-MAT Hotel Nafsika

< p> Although they have completely different styles

they are closely connected by "nature"

COCO-MAT Athens BC

Located in the center of Athens The COCO-MAT Athens BC hotel is one of the tallest modern buildings here.

It was built using natural materials out of respect for the Acropolis Museum "just a few steps away". It is said that ancient coins with turtle patterns were also discovered at that time

The hotel preserved part of the ruins and also made a device at the entrance using turtles as materials to match this ancient neighborhood

In the atrium surrounded by the rooms, seabirds flap their wings regularly and fly along a spiral upward trajectory

Sitting and lying on the rooftop, the "Acropolis" on the side seems to be lifted in front of us by a big hand. . No matter day or night, the rooftop is the most popular resting place here

COCO-MAT Athens Jumelle

The COCO-MAT Athens Jumelle hotel is located in the most popular Marmalo district of Athens. The Greek National Park, which is within walking distance, is our favorite

This apartment building was completely renovated in 1935. It is based on the ancient Roman basilica and incorporates oriental art. It is a typical Byzantine style.

Compared with other COCO-MAT hotels, this place seems to be less natural and more fashionable. But upon closer inspection, it turns out that these low-key elegances are all based on nature. When the stairs were renovated, half of the original materials were retained, making them look as new as new, which is both environmentally friendly and tasteful

Natural materials, subtle tones, original surfaces, and eye-catching decorations, each room has been carefully designed

The wall paintings on the roof really match the clouds in the Athens sky. When dining here, time will slip away unconsciously

COCO-MAT Hotel Nafsika

COCO-MAT Hotel Nafsika, surrounded by vegetation, is located in Kifissia, a beautiful suburb of Athens. This is a place where people rest, have fun, and embrace nature passionately. The spacious balcony connected to each bedroom allows us to linger on the beautiful scenery of Kifissia

"Green" has almost become a must-have spiritual food for every household here

Night The comfortable COCO-MAT sleep system is paired with a nutritious and delicious breakfast in the morning, making people look forward to falling asleep and waking up

COCO-MAT Eco Residences Serifos

From Depart from Athens and take a ferry for about 2 hours to Serifos Island. The tranquility exuded here complements the flavor of COCO-MAT

The private beach belonging to the hotel was once a small port, which was used to dock ships. The slates have been polished extremely smooth by sea water

COCO-MAT used eco-friendly natural materials to "revitalize" the 1900 miner's house

Famous Greek architect When George Zafiriou breathed new life into the former miners' settlement, he blended traditional local architectural elements, industrial atmosphere and natural scenery

The island is dominated by white and blue, and the towns and villages are full of Typical traditional Cycladic architecture. Swimming, diving, mountain climbing, cycling, be careful to lose yourself when you live here

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The word "nature" has many meanings, unadorned, pure natural, not cramped, not rigid ...I don’t know if I am obsessed with it, but now when I see any word related to "nature", I will always subconsciously associate it with COCO-MAT.

Mike Evmorfidis, the current CEO of COCO-MAT

This time, we also met Mike Evmorfidis, the current CEO of COCO-MAT. Mike and Paul, who rode with us two years ago, are real brothers, but although they have similar faces, they have completely different temperaments. If Paul is the "fire" soul core of COCO-MAT, then Mike is more like the driving force behind COCO-MAT's steady progress.

COCO-MAT founder Paul Evmorfidis

When chatting with Mike, we always wanted to hear more about COCO-MAT’s connection with Greece, but he never said anything about the so-called "Greek" rhetoric. He doesn’t want to teach anyone, let alone popularize science. In Mike’s heart, COCO-MAT is not someone’s leader, but the quiet companion and guardian.

"Same as nature," he said.

Just like the meaning of the word "nature", what COCO-MAT encourages and expects is a "relaxed but not cramped" living state, a space atmosphere "close to nature", and A "be yourself" attitude towards life.

RELAX, NATURE, ME, these three are in no particular order. No matter how serious or important, MIke is ready to listen to everyone's suggestions on how to arrange and combine them.

Ⅲ

It was originally speculated that Mike would "bundle" COCO-MAT with Greece, but obviously, for Greeks who have enough cultural confidence, it is better to emphasize history and culture. It’s easy to incorporate them directly into your life.

What COCO-MAT is most concerned about has never been whether the word "Greece" has become its own label, but whether this state of advocating nature and returning to oneself can really enter everyone's heart. .

Thinking about it, this is one of the reasons why Qiuhua is always confident to bring COCO-MAT hotel to China. "Nature" has no national boundaries. As long as everyone's desire for nature is awakened, it is enough to make people of different nationalities respond to it.

Suddenly I think of the meals, fruits and vegetables placed in the lobby of COCO-MAT Hotel, as friendly as the snacks that your family has prepared for you in advance. The saying "Don't be polite, just treat yourself as if you were at home" also applies here.

Phase

Communication

Ⅰ

I don’t know if using a smile to describe Stella would damage her exotic temperament. , but it is her smile that remains in my heart for a long time.

When everyone is walking in the national park under the bright sun, when we are sweating and riding wooden bicycles through Athens... No matter when she is in a hurry or when she is at ease, she always has a smile on her face. .

Sometimes it is hard to imagine how different the cultural differences between such a Greek girl and me are, but the interesting thing is that we both like bicycles, the sea, and praise beautiful girls.

Beijing and Athens are 7,609.69 kilometers apart, which is indeed quite far, but when I came here, I didn’t feel unfamiliar.

Maybe it was the comfort of going straight to Athens from Copenhagen and being relieved from the pressure of the height of the Nordic people; or maybe it was the sight of the Greek guy who took off his clothes and changed clothes on the plane. The Greek girl walking around on her feet suddenly thought of the Beijing men in Sijiu City enjoying the cool air with their bellies exposed and felt warm to her.

In short, Beijing-Greece, Greece-Beijing, the state of ignoring other people's eyes, pursuing nature, and being uninhibited are exactly the same.

Ⅱ

This city with a Mediterranean climate is not humid. There is a lot of sea water, and scenery of green space and gravel is everywhere. As we get closer to the city center, the buildings slowly poke out, the dilapidated and old wall facades, and the smiling faces inside The little flowers all make me miss Beijing in the distance.

Having grown up next to the Xiannong Altar and staring at the ancient architecture museum every day, I have long lost the freshness of the traditional Ming and Qing architecture. However, the Athenians who also "travel between ancient and modern times" The same is true.

When talking about ancient buildings, what everyone shows in their eyes is more of habit.

Regarding each other's history and architecture, we felt novel when we looked at each other, and made a squeak when we looked at each other. Even when we sat together and said "bad things" about the British, we actually got along very well.

Ⅲ

I remember very well the way the locals got along with "regret". The feeling of getting along with nature, history, and even cracks is the most familiar taste.

The "regret" of incompleteness in Greek sculpture has not affected people's love for it at all. If it cannot be repaired, the dilapidated appearance is still very charming.

This reminds me of the heavy snowfall in Beijing eight months ago. When I saw the various handmade works wrapped around the gourd shelves in the alley, I smiled knowingly. Yes, if all alleys put on new makeup and we can no longer live with "regret", then it will really be an eternal regret.

It is these similarities that make us look forward to the moment when the COCO-MAT hotel is completed in Beijing. Greek flavor plus Chinese flavor, Athens flavor plus Beijing flavor, it will definitely be good.

.END.

Text & Video/ Editor-in-Chief Liu Yayan/ Brother Wang

Photography/ Design of Wild Mushroom Greenhouse/ Lu Lao

The above manuscripts are all originally written and produced by QingHouse’s exclusive writers

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