In Shanghai—a city where East and West have long converged—an elegant apartment has been designed as a sanctuary for a new generation of cultural elites. For these cosmopolitan homeowners, the house is not simply a refuge from the outside world, but a mirror of inner refinement and aesthetic sensibility.

The design embraces the principle of “great truths in simplicity”, using restraint and balance to create a space that feels at once like a gallery and a home. Light and void, form and stillness play against one another to evoke atmosphere rather than overt display. As the Daoist sage Zhuangzi wrote, “an empty room gives birth to light”—and here, that emptiness allows both art and spirit to breathe.

Art as Atmosphere

On the walls, a photograph by Candida Höfer stretches across the room, its depiction of a vast European hall expanding the sense of space. Here, a morning coffee feels like an escape to the Left Bank of Paris, where thought and imagination roam freely.

In the reading nook, light is focused like a museum spotlight—illuminating not just the page, but the mind. Reading becomes less about gathering knowledge, more about reflection, a quiet conversation with the self.

A Poetic Retreat

The bedrooms are designed as sanctuaries of calm, each with its own distinct mood.

The master suite is framed in a palette of white and gold, softened by linen and silk. A Pierre Chareau alabaster wall sconce glows softly, adding a discreet note of luxury.

The south-facing guest room offers warmth in creamy neutrals, with a Liaigre oak table, an upholstered armchair, and a wool rug in Roland Garros red. On the wall, a work by Chen Ke murmurs with autumnal quietness, making evenings feel ripe and full, like the harvest season.
By contrast, the north guest room is contemplative and cool, dressed in shades of blue and white. A Meridiani bed in soft grey anchors the space, while Sean Scully’s abstract lines suggest horizon and sea. Here, the atmosphere is like a safe harbour—quiet, steady, at peace.