Nestled in the heart of a tightly-packed neighbourhood of Ming Dynasty homes in Nanxun, a picturesque village crisscrossed by canals, Blossom Hill’s latest hotel is a labyrinth of passageways, warm spaces and courtyard gardens that unfolds in a series of soft reveals, progressively removing visitors from the bustle of the outside world.
Outwardly unassuming, the sumptuous interiors, with their effortless blend of the contemporary and the traditional, belong firmly to the school of Asian minimalism and are the work of Shanghai-based Dariel Studio, a boutique interior design firm developing a reputation for its thoughtful but playful melding of different eras and styles.
Perhaps inspired by President Xi Jinping’s declaration of the era of Fu Xing, Dariel’s approach to the bijou 20-room property has been as much rejuvenation as remake. Its intervention brings the former family compound firmly into the modern era without effacing its past, thus the craftsmanship of yesterday is complemented by artistry of today. Low-lit and atmospheric, Qiu Shu Li’s wooden screens and carefully placed windows, which look in as much as out, present a selective reading of its surroundings, the result is an oasis of serenity, hidden in plain sight.
INFORMATION
Website
ADDRESS
109 Nanxi Street
Nanxun Ancient Town
-
A first look inside the new Oxford Street Ikea. Spoiler: blue bags and meatballs are includedThe new Oxford Street Ikea opens tomorrow (1 May), giving Londoners access to the Swedish furniture brand right in the heart of the city
-
For the 2025 Eurovision theme art, Swiss design principles get a glow-upLondon-based branding agency NOT Wieden+Kennedy marries graphic design history and exuberance in its theme art for this year's song contest
-
Ten low-pro sneakers that capture footwear’s new streamlined moodSuper-flat soles, narrowed silhouettes: the low-profile sneaker is this season’s defining footwear style. Here, the Wallpaper* style team selects its favourites
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the worldCelebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
Prada and Wong Kar-wai dream up a cinematic restaurant in ShanghaiPrada partners with Wong Kar-wai to bring Mi Shang Rong Zhai to life, a dining experience influenced by the arthouse director’s seminal oeuvre
-
Enjoy heritage views and contemporary brews at a new Beijing caféJM Café, White Pagoda Temple by B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio nods to the history of the Xicheng District while injecting a shot of vitality
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designThere’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
China’s Alila Shanghai hotel is a stylish hub of idle tranquillityAlila Shanghai, the brand's first urban resort in Greater China, is a serene bolthole amidst the pulse of the Jing'an district
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
Travel back to the Ming dynasty at Beijing’s new Mandarin Oriental hotelMandarin Oriental Qianmen merges traditional culture with contemporary needs in a 600-year-old historical building complex
-
Inside Palazzo Versace Macau, a lavish, mosaic-rich hotelPalazzo Versace Macau, the brand’s first hotel in Asia, continues to preserve Donatella Versace’s swanky hospitality vision
