Dream•Shanghai

Inadvertently on a business trip to Shanghai, I was fascinated by the city with her unique charm and fabulous multiculturalism. At first, it was just a holiday home, yet the carefully decorated place turns out to be the starting point of my Shanghai dream. The tranquil location among the city’s hustle and bustle gives me a deeper appreciation of Shanghai culture. Using walnut as the major material for decoration, the room is furnished with yellow walls and other bold colors like green and purple. Like the extension of my creation, the gent and brisk light from Italian lamps tranquilize, inspire and somewhat relax me. At the doorstep is a head-shaped bronze sculpture embellished with protea cynaroides, as if the room is under the protection of Dionysus. Warm and bright sunshine makes me free and easy, so I separate the terrace from the living room with a mirror to get the proper lighting. My preference for the 18th century European design is clearly represented by the simple European-style fireplace on the background wall, showing my new interpretation of Chinese and Western cultures. The sofa, with cushions and carpeting from Thailand and the armchair in the 1930s Shanghai style, display the contrast and integration of various colors, reminiscent and harmonious. The study gets the right lighting from the frosted glass that divides the living room and the study. Once inside the study, the flax-furnished armchair from Qing dynasty (1644-1911) contrasts sharply with the European-style cowhide carpet, further showing the integration of Chinese and Western cultures. The dining room, with modern chairs and the dinning table creatively transformed from a desk, best interprets the metropolitan’s multiculturalism. Together with the distinctive Chinese-style master chair, the room vividly renders the idea of combining modern and classic elements as well as European and Chinese styles. Right above the master chair is a painting from the signature Smoking Women series by Liu Baijun, one of the hottest artists in today’s Shanghai. The painting, with her idle feeling, is definitely the highlight of this quiet room. The bathroom also makes good use of color, the contrast among black, white and blue creating a sort of jazz style and black-white attraction. The room, with the dark background adorned by black-and-white photos, golden bronze mirrors, multi-colored artwork and flowers, refines my life and makes living feel like vacationing. Just as Andersen once wrote, ‘Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower’, my design, although unable to upgrade the living quality of the owners, can send flowers to their life.