On 25 January 2021, renowned British design brand Tom Dixon Studio officially opened its latest hub in Shanghai as part of its expansion into Asia.
The new hub is in Xintiandi, a cosmopolitan luxury design, fashion and hospitality destination in the centre of Shanghai. The brand’s Shanghai flagship hub sits within a traditional Chinese building and is surrounded by Shikumen architecture. Shikumen, which translates to ‘stone gate’, is a Shanghainese architectural style which blends traditional Chinese architecture and social behaviour with elements of Western design.
Tom Dixon Studio’s CEO, Hans Hoegstedt says: ‘China is one of our most important markets. We searched for 2 years for this location with the intention to support China’s design community. Our Shanghai hub is designed to be a place where our customers can fully experience Tom’s extraordinary products.’
For the hub’s design concept, Tom Dixon Studio referenced the 100-year history of the Shikumen buildings in the surrounding neighbourhood. Elements such as a prominent main entrance gate made of double wooden doors, geometric wooden patterning on the windows and a central courtyard are blended with the studio’s distinct style and an emphasis on materiality and the human senses is incorporated into the design.
Whilst the design of the exterior has been retained as a nod to the building’s history, the interior has been significantly updated to represent a minimalist, clean and industrial aesthetic. Located on the ground floor, the layout of the hub is open plan. Referencing the Shikumen organisation of spaces, the rooms are arranged around a Central Hall and Courtyard. The Living Room, Library, Bathroom, and Office are defined by changing typologies and products rather than walls interrupting the space. Materials that are intrinsic to the brand’s identity such as stone, metal and glass also distinguish the areas. Several massive blocks of quarried solid stone are on display in the centre of the new hub, acting as a podium for accessories.
The hero products, which feature in the Shanghai hub include FAT, SPRING and WINGBACK, as well as pendant systems displaying multiple combinations of MELT, MIRROR BALL and BEAT. For the first time in China, Tom Dixon’s veteran Bird Chaise will be available at the new Shanghai hub. To celebrate the opening, Tom Dixon Studio has partnered with a local gin brand, Peddler, who have a pop-up gin bar in the store for three months.
The Shanghai flagship is the brand’s third retail space to open in China, following the opening of the Hangzhou store in December 2019 and the Beijing Sanlitun Bottle Concept store, which opened in September 2020.
