The Designer’s Guide to Shanghai

Planning a trip to Shanghai this month for Salone del Mobile.Milano Shanghai, West Bund Art & Design or ART021? We’ve compiled this mini-guide of some of our favourite places to eat, sleep, shop and browse, with just enough to fill out your schedule between fairs and events
The Middle House
Stay
The PuLi Hotel and Spa
Just a short drive or brisk walk from the Shanghai Exhibition Centre, the PuLi is billed as a ‘luxury urban resort’. The UR SPA is a highlight: open until 10pm, it makes the perfect place to relax and recharge after a packed day in the city.
The Middle House
In the historic neighborhood of Dazhongli, The House Collective’s latest property features interiors artfully rendered by internationally acclaimed architect and designer Piero Lissoni.
The Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai
The Portman Ritz-Carlton is also conveniently located just opposite the Shanghai Exhibition Centre, making it a refined and luxurious base from which to visit fairs and explore the city.
The Middle House
The Sukhotai
The Shanghai EDITION
The Shanghai iteration of Ian Schrager’s iconic hotel has become a hotspot for locals and tourists alike, and while it makes a perfect base from which to explore the city there’s plenty to discover before even leaving the hotel.
The Sukhothai
The Sukhothai Shanghai is designed by none other than local duo neri&hu, who have given an air of sophistication to this hotel in the Taikoo Hui mixed-use lifestyle complex.
The Shanghai EDITION
Eat & Drink
INKWOOD Restaurant & Bar
INKWOOD Restaurant & Bar
INKWOOD Restaurant & Bar is chef Beichuan Yang’s first solo endeavour, serving European dishes with a Chinese influence in a space designed by local firm STUDIO8.
Café La Loop 86
Art and coffee come together at Café La Loop 86, a minimalist cafe and gallery in an old shipyard brought back to life by Kengo Kuma.
Café La Loop 86
Shop
in the Park
in the Park
Designed by the founders of Kooo Architects Ayaka and Shinya Kojima, who previously worked under Kengo Kuma, in the Park is a new concept store by Chinese brand ZUCZUG that offers a curated range of lifestyle products and clothing from independent brands
Design Republic
Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu’s retail concept store purveys pieces by some of the world’s leading designers including, of course, the design duo themselves.
Prada’s Rhong Zhai Villa
See & Do
Prada’s Rhong Zhai Villa
This new platform for the arts is Prada’s third major restoration initiative and its first outside Italy, and makes its home in an exquisite early 20th-century Shanghai villa where historicist revival styles meet Art Deco embellishments.
MOCA Shanghai
The 4,000-square-metre glass-walled Museum of Contemporary Art and newer MoCA Pavilion for emerging artists are both located in the People’s Park. At any given time visitors can expect to see world-class exhibitions held in partnership with renowned artists and institutions
Liwa Book Bar
Liwa Book Bar
Liwa Book Bar
Liwa Book Bar
Located on the bank of the Liwa river on the central campus of East China Normal University, this abandoned warehouse turned book bar is a tranquil space for reading and relaxing.
Centre Pompidou × West Bund Museum Project
The recently inaugurated Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum Project marks the institution’s first venue in China. Spanning 2,500 square metres of the David Chipperfield-designed museum, the space will play host to a multifaceted programme of exhibitions and events over the next five years.
M50 (50 Moganshan Road)
An impressive collection of galleries, artist studios, design and art shops and cafes can be found in the renovated warehouses that make up this thriving creative complex.
Centre Pompidou × West Bund Museum Project
Centre Pompidou × West Bund Museum Project