Design Shanghai’s blockbusting first fair

Shanghai exhibition centre
The international design community descended on the inaugural edition of Design Shanghai, held in the city's sprawling exhibition centre
(Image credit: TBC)

The launch of Design Shanghai last week confirmed that good design is now firmly on the city’s radar. Around 50,000 visitors descended on the city's landmark exhibition centre - an elaborate Russian neo-classical venue - to view the wares of nearly 150 design brands, with 90 per cent exhibiting in China for the first time.

The four-day event set a new standard for the city thanks to its creative curators, Ross Urwin and Darrel Best of Infrastructure, who focused the inaugural exhibition on a strong offering of established international creatives, alongside homegrown talents, aiming to entice local interior designers, architects and developers. Says Urwin, ‘We were confident that China was ready for such an event but the turnout and level of engagement are testament to an evolving Chinese design consciousness and appreciation of finely crafted merchandise.'

Furniture proved the highlight in the Contemporary Hall, where we were drawn to Pinch’s elegantly proportioned two-seat 'Pendel' sofa, China-based Stellar Works’ Rén collection (blending Danish style with Japanese and Chinese influences), and New Zealand-based Resident's 'Hex Pendant' lamp.

Elsewhere, Wallpaper* Handmade with Jaguar made its spectacular debut in China after a whirlwind global tour that began at Milan's Salone del Mobile, before taking over Harrods' London windows and stopping Design Miami visitors in their tracks. At Design Shanghai, we showcased our recent collaborations with the legendary motoring marque, with a display that included pieces by designers Fredrikson Stallard, Moritz Waldemeyer, Mathieu Gustafsson, marble specialist Salvatori and dynamos Neri & Hu, who enjoyed a particularly strong presence at the fair.

Local creatives also showed a flair for all things handmade. Lifestyle boutique The Beast served up a pop-up cafe under an innovative landscape canopy, while Neri & Hu showed its highly covetable range of modern Chinese furniture and accessories; X+Q Art founder Qu Guangci’s offered up colourful sculptures; and Hanliang unveiled its ‘Ming Chair’ in ebony wood and leather.

In the Classic Hall, meanwhile, Mylands of London presented a range of paint shades inspired by the British capital while Spina Design caught our eye with a glamorous stripped goose feather tie-back. The Collectibles Hall showcased Utopia and Utility’s 'Stacking Vessel' and handcrafted ceramic lighting sculptures by Scabetti.

‘It is time for a new China design, not just a copy of Japanese and Scandinavian style,’ declared up-and-coming designer Yao Yejun of Mu Shi Tian Gong studio, who presented beautifully functional furniture, including an easy-to-transport three-leg stool.

Exterior of the exhibition hall in Shanghai

Around 50,000 visitors flocked to the elaborate Russian neo-classical landmark, originally constructed in 1955 to commemorate the alliance between China and the Soviet Union

(Image credit: TBC)

Art installation in the courtyard of the exhibition centre

The Martell Art Fund invited Chinese sculpture duo Qu Guangci and Xiang Jing to create an art installation, ‘The Eternity of Art’, situated at the building's entrance courtyard

(Image credit: TBC)

Caged booth inside the exhibition

Inside the fair, Hay's caged booth was designed to echo the interiors of the Danish brand's newly opened Shanghai concept store, its first in Asia

(Image credit: TBC)

Booth inside the exhibition hall

Design Republic, helmed by Wallpaper* Designer of the Year Neri & Hu, brought a host of international names to Shanghai, including Tom Dixon, Bocci, BD Barcelona Design, Classicon, Interni Edition and Moooi

(Image credit: TBC)

Table with various sized vases

From top: 'Raimond' light, by Moooi; vases, by Arcade; table, by Interni Edition, at the Design Republic stand

(Image credit: TBC)

Left picture is a wooden container with various trays and the right picture is of black armchair

Left: '360° container', by Konstantin Grcic, for Magis; Right: 'Sedan' chair and 'Solo' table, by Neri & Hu, at the Design Republic stand

(Image credit: TBC)

Chair on a patterned rug

'Parrish' chair, by Konstantin Grcic, for Emeco; 'Delft Blue No. 03', by Marcel Wanders, for Moooi, at the Design Republic stand

(Image credit: TBC)

The Beast Boutique sign

Chinese lifestyle boutique The Beast opened up a pop-up café with an innovative landscape canopy and modernist décor

(Image credit: TBC)

Wallpaper collaboration with Jaguar

Wallpaper* Handmade with Jaguar made its spectacular debut in China after a whirlwind global tour that began in Milan, before touring London and Miami. At Design Shanghai, we showcased our recent collaborations with Jaguar, with a display that included Moritz Waldemeyer's 'Revolution' lighting installation (left). Also on show (right) was our 'Pet Transporter', by Mathieu Gustafsson, sponsored by Jaguar, inspired by Jaguar Design and the 'Wild Feast' picnic basket, by Neri & Hu, sponsored by Jaguar, inspired by Jaguar Design

(Image credit: TBC)

'Diptych: Landscape II', by Fredrikson Stallard, sponsored by Jaguar, inspired by Jaguar Design

'Diptych: Landscape II', by Fredrikson Stallard, sponsored by Jaguar, inspired by Jaguar Design

(Image credit: TBC)

Table

'Table F', by Salvatori & Jaguar Advanced Design, sponsored by Jaguar, inspired by Jaguar Design

(Image credit: TBC)

Cooper desk and chair

Copper and walnut desk, by Paul Kelley

(Image credit: TBC)

Polished stainless steel and brass dresser

Polished stainless steel and brass dresser, by Paul Kelley

(Image credit: TBC)

Green and gold vase on the left, and stool with layers of colours on it's legs on the right

From left: 'Stacking Vessels', by Pia Wüstenberg, for Utopia and Utility, crafted entirely by hand, features a ceramic base, glass centre and wooden top. All three parts work as individual pieces and can be stacked together; Stool, by Pia Wüstenberg, for Utopia and Utility

(Image credit: TBC)

Porcelain white dragons

'One-Child Policy', by Danful Yang, 2010, at the Pearl Lam stand. The porcelain installation by Shanghai-based designer Danful Yang comprises 21 handmade intricate porcelain qilin (Chinese unicorns). Each piece, including 'Daydream' and 'Glasses', represents a member of a Chinese family with its own personality and physical characteristics

(Image credit: TBC)

red and navy chairs

'Ming' chairs, by Neri & Hu, for Stellar Works

(Image credit: TBC)

Three different style chairs around a coffee table

From left: 'Laval Crown Single Chair' and 'Laval Crown Single Chair', both by Laval and OeO; 'Lunar' dining chair, by Space Copenhagen; and 'Kyoto' lamp, by OeO, at the Stellar Works stand

(Image credit: TBC)

Black and red chair, both in different styles

'Antler Chair', by Vilhelm Wohlert, 1955, and 'A Chair', by Mogens Andersen, at the Stellar Works stand

(Image credit: TBC)

Orange chair

'Triangle Chair', by Vilhelm Wohlert, 1952, at the Stellar Works stand

(Image credit: TBC)

Colourful cherubs on the wall

Cherubs, by Qu Guangci

(Image credit: TBC)

hanging lights with lots of fish around it

'Shoal', by Scabetti

(Image credit: TBC)

Drinks cabinet

Drinks cabinet, by Christian Haas, Marquis de Montesquiou and Theresienthal, which was originally commissioned for Wallpaper* Handmade 2013

(Image credit: TBC)

Red jaguar

The fair's headline sponsors, Jaguar Land Rover, showcased Jaguar's F-Type coupé...

(Image credit: TBC)

Black Land Rover

...alongside Land Rover's powerful Range Rover Evoque

(Image credit: TBC)

Upward glance of the exhibition ceiling

A glance upwards revealed that the exhibition centre still retains many of its neo-classical architectural details

(Image credit: TBC)

Living room with a sofa, and a small table

Design dynamos Neri & Hu, who enjoyed a strong presence at the fair, presented their 'Opium' sofa (left) and 'Tray Desk' (right), both for De La Espada

(Image credit: TBC)

Dark wood desk

'Yves' desk and 'Imo' folding stool by Pinch

(Image credit: TBC)

Bookcase

'Bookcase Type Antony', by Jean Prouvé, 1955, at the Galerie Patrick Sequin stand

(Image credit: TBC)

Armchair

'Conférence' armchair, by Pierre Jeanneret, 1952-56, at the Galerie Patrick Sequin stand

(Image credit: TBC)

Two different types of chair, a red chair and a chair in front of a mirror

From left: 'Shell' chair, by Hans J Wegner; and 'The Narcissist', by NHDRO, for BD Barcelona Design, at the Design Republic store

(Image credit: TBC)

Catherine Shaw is a writer, editor and consultant specialising in architecture and design. She has written and contributed to over ten books, including award-winning monographs on art collector and designer Alan Chan, and on architect William Lim's Asian design philosophy. She has also authored books on architect André Fu, on Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu, and on Beijing-based OPEN Architecture's most significant cultural projects across China.