Bold Shanghai Apartment With Mix-And-Match Galore

When it came to renovating the waterfront apartment for himself, interior architect and art collector Chasing Wang eschewed fashion and trends for a more personal and lasting interior. Rather than selecting the furnishings in accordance with an overall aesthetic, Wang turned the design process on its head, assembling a diverse collection of art and design pieces for the sole reason that he loves them, and then intuitively combining them in bold yet elegant compositions. From antique, to Art Deco, to modernist and post-modern pieces, Chinese murals, Moroccan rugs, all the way through to contemporary paintings, the apartment in a paradigm of eclecticism and a creative expression, as well as a testament to Wang’s iconoclastic design ethos.

Entering into the living and dining area, a subdued color palette of white, beige and grey provides a backdrop for a vibrant and diverse collection of artworks densely displayed above a minimalist black marble fireplace. The living room opens up to the study which swaps the former’s muted tones for a much more dramatic ambience encapsulated by a black and white wallpaper depicting scenes from the opera. Swathed in cherry-red wall paint, the tea room is a treasure trove of vintage furnishings sourced from all over the world.

Wang’s mix-and-match approach also extends to the bedroom which features light-toned veneer wall panels, a pair of French Napoleon III style brass red-velvet chairs – used as nightstands – and an Art Deco marble fireplace that echoes the black and white palette of a handmade Morocco rug and shell-shaped marble wall scone. In the adjacent dressing room, the combination of mirrored closet doors with a colorful carpet by Henri Matisse creates a kaleidoscopic effect of infinite reflections in what is a playful juxtaposition with the elegant sophistication of the bedroom, only further attesting to the iconoclastic boldness of Wang’s design ethos.