Puro Apartment: Artful Living in Downtown Shanghai

This art-infused apartment, located in the heart of Shanghai, originally featured a three-bedroom, two-living-room layout. The owner, an art collector with a passion for unfettered, limitless living, gave us ample freedom for the design. Our goal was to create an open, artistic home that allows for the free movement of both people and art. The sense of home begins the moment the elevator doors open. The redesigned elevator hall, clad in uniform stone, extends with the aid of lighting and mirrors.

In terms of the overall layout, the original master bedroom on the south side was opened up and integrated into the living room, forming a large, open, south-facing space that serves as the living area. The two rooms on the north side were combined into one quieter and more private master bedroom, ultimately transforming the apartment into a one-bedroom, one-living-room space.

Now the new expansive, continuous living space required the establishment of hierarchies to maintain appropriate centrality in different areas, creating migratory circulating routes. The living room, reception area, and open island kitchen each form an island centered around a piece of furniture, around which people’s activities and conversations unfold freely. The centerpiece of the living room is a dining table steeped in history and stories, around which the owner’s daily work and gatherings with friends revolve. This table is crafted from a piece of brass and two semi-transparent resin panels joined together, dovetailed with a solid wood tabletop that reveals exquisite brass lines. The resin panels divide the long table into three equal parts, paired with armchairs in the form of intersecting seats, welcoming each seated guest equally. The brass plate will change color over time, bearing the marks of age, while the resin panels allow light from the opposite side to filter through, connecting with the surrounding space.

The lounge area at the other end of the dining table is relatively more private; it can serve as a temporary guest room when the sliding door is closed and opens up to connect the space when the door is open. Hanging in the center of the wall is Julian Opie’s portrait "Walking in Hackney.2.2016," the owner's favorite large artwork, and the only fixed piece in the space. The people coming and going in the painting resonate with the fluidity of the space, as if the figures could step into the room to meet the viewers. The orange background sets a lively tone for the entire living room. Lighting design in the corners extends the space, outlining another art installation, "Spine." Other artworks, like the people coming and going in the lounge area, freely circulate within the space, even imbuing the simple guest bathroom with artistic flair.

On one side of the open kitchen is a wall of volcanic rock and a stainless steel wine cabinet, creating a contrast between the rough and the sharp. On the other side of the wood-colored wall, behind an invisible axis door, is the private master bedroom. Passing through the open walk-in closet and the master bathroom on the right, the bedroom features simple lighting design to create a tranquil environment. The main bathroom shower space is located behind a narrow window and can be shielded by the sliding door of the walk-in closet. Given the limited ceiling height, we adopted a no-ceiling design, with concealed lighting as much as possible, accented by artistic light sources to create a warm home atmosphere.