A Characterful Pied-à-terre in Shanghai

In this apartment with a private garden in Shanghai's busy Huangpu district, Yatofu Creatives designed a city refuge where bespoke furniture and art take centre stage

Context is fundamental for Angela Lindahl and Yihan Xiang from Shanghai- and Helsinki-based Yatofu Creatives. In this ground-floor apartment with a private garden in Shanghai's Huangpu district, they have created an airy pied-à-terre for a tech executive and their family to escape the busy routines of city life. The brief emphasised relaxation and uniqueness. 'We were inspired by the most important aspect of the space: light,' says Lindahl, adding that they changed the original layout to integrate living and dining spaces and opened them to the garden via floor-to-ceiling doors and windows. 

'We wanted a minimal and soothing design, but with special elements for a distinctive character. The oversized terrazzo was a playful way to use a common material across the home,' Lindahl says about the floor, which is composed of hand-laid cut-off slabs. Together with the large display wall in Brazilian Pinta Verde blue marble behind the dining table, the floor adds dynamism to the project. Similarly, solid walnut wood panelling and cabinets in the bedroom and kitchen and the en suite bathtub sculpted from a single block of marble add accents to otherwise purely functional spaces. 

‘For this project, we’re interior architects and furniture designers, but also curators,' says Xiang. He explains that once they fully grasped the client's story, they began searching for artists who they knew could add to their vision with bespoke pieces. The oversized photograph in the living room is by Finnish designer Piia Emilia and photographer Aleksi Tikkala, while the collection of ceramic vessels dotted throughout the home was created in collaboration with American artist Joseph Algieri, and the wall art in both bedrooms with Taiwanese woodwork studio Moofoo.

Lindahl and Xiang also designed pieces that double as site-specific artworks, such as the asymmetrical mirror in the hallway and the pendant lamps suspended by leather straps over the coffee table. 'They all have simple yet strong forms and come together to create a harmonious experience,' Lindahl says. ‘The pendants draw inspiration from the sycamore trees lining the street. When the breeze goes through, they rotate gently, swaying like tree branches.'

Rather than following a specific tradition, the garden — realised by landscape designers Zhou Xu and Xie Junqing — has a simple and modern aesthetic, bringing light and air into the interior and serving as a multifunctional leisure area for the family. ‘The client said they spend a lot of time here in the summer. They can hear the bustling street on the other side but still have their quiet little world inside,' Xiang says.

Text by Tomás Pinheiro
Images by Wen Studio