Dragon Diaries: Reflections on China (Part 2: Shanghai)

Joma Arts in Taikang Lu

After 5 days of non-stop sightseeing in dusty, historic Beijing, we flew two hours southeast to Shanghai. I'd read about the economic growth of the city before the trip, but I had no idea what I was truly in to see. Shanghai is China's biggest city with over 23 million people and given it's rapid expansion over the past two decades, it has emerged as an international center for commerce, finance, fashion, and culture. As we battled the sea of traffic from the airport to our hotel. located in the city's center, I experienced total shock and awe over the city's jagged, endless skyline.  Our hotel was on People's Square which is now home to the municipal government headquarters and The Shanghai Art Museum. We learned quickly that cab drivers (or most Shanghai Chinese residents for that matter) don't speak English and you need addresses in Chinese characters to get where you need to go by taxi. Needless to say it was quite an adventure, especially with the nearly 3 inches of rain that fell on the city the first 48 hours we were there.  However, we certainly made the most of it and for anyone planning a trip to Shanghai, I highly recommend the site smartshanghai.com for the best in arts and culture.

Pudong from The Bund

A few of the highlights of our adventures in the city were the Urban Planning Exhibition Center which contains a history of the city's development and contains an enormous 3-D model of Shanghai by 2020; you wouldn't believe what is in store for this mushrooming metropolis in the next decade. I was really impressed with their commitment to green space in the city, setting an example for environmental urban planning across the world. The second must-see is a section of the French Concession called Taikang Lu (Lu means Street in Chinese). It's a pedestrian maze of boutiques, galleries and restaurants and you can spend hours weaving through the stores and discovering unique items for the home. One of my favorite shops was Joma Arts which was filled with art, pillows, statues and jewelry from Tibet and India. The final highlight of Shanghai for me was viewing Shanghai at night from The Bund. Along the Huangpu River sits Pudong, the financial and commercial center for the city, and at night the buildings are lit from top to bottom, electrifying the city's skyline in all its modern glory. We had the perfect date night in Shanghai which started with dirty martinis and raw oysters at The Long Bar in the recently opened Waldorf Astoria (the hotel was restored to its orignal 1911 architectural materpiece when it was the legendary Shanghai Club); this was followed by a decadent four-course French culinary journey created by Jean-Georges in Three on The Bund. Over truffle gnocchi, beef tenderloin, and creme brulee, we took in the extraordinary lights of Pudong. I had to pinch myself asI felt worlds away from my life in Virginia.

Here are a few pictures of the design inspirations I found in Shanghai.

People's Park (we watched some Chinese students dance like Justin Timberlake)

Chanel exhibit at Shanghai Art Museum (mimicking Coco)

Chinese garden stool at Propaganda Poster Museum

woven blanket from Ming Dynasty
Shanghai Art Museum

glass ceiling in The Peace Hotel Shanghai

The Peace Hotel

entry way to Shanghai silk store

painted white wall with backlit lattic openings just off The Bund

the new Waldorf Astoria on The Bund

Waldorf Astoria ( I loved this set of silk prints)

The Bund by night from the window of John Georges

Taikang Lu

checking out the Deke Erh photography exibit at Taikang Lu

Dragon Diaries: Reflections on China (Beijing Part I)

Pagoda at The Summer Palace

Ni hao! I'm guilty of not posting sooner, but the past 48 hours I've existed in a near zombie-like state, replying (or reading and deleting) the hundreds of work emails; cycling through piles of laundry on auto pilot, and most importantly sleeping. Oh the wondrous, restorative benefits of sleep.

And so the sleeping dragon emerges (me, not China), and I look forward to sharing some highlights of my travels. I'll do so in three parts, logically divided into the three cities we visited in the order we visited them: Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

But before I do that, an update on the house hunt. After all, this blog was created for my (currently nonexistent) Norfolk nest. Tomorrow is April 1st and we are officially 60 days from when we would like to close on a place. Saturday we are meeting with our realtor to look at a few homes and now that spring has officially sprung in Virginia, we hope there are more to come on the market this month. So that is the update. Not much of an update.

I possessed a slight resemblance to this Chinese gargoyle after
the 20-hour journey home

Back to Beijing. The capital of the Republic of China is rich with history and a good first stop for us. The CNC (Chinese National Congress) was meeting in Beijing when we were there so security was on high alert.  Chinese military were posted in all the public spaces and seeing these young men in their dark green uniforms at attention dispelled the first myth for me: I was not that tall in China. The younger generation (20's and 30 somethings) in all three cities dress fashionably and the girls hit the streets in their high heeled, ornate, size 5 booties. Maybe it was the booties adding a few extra inches, but in general, I didn't feel like the giant at 5'9" Americans had warned me about. We visited many historical sites including The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square (the largest public square in the world), The Llama Temple, the Temple of Heaven, and of course the magical, meandering Great Wall. Other than the Great Wall, my favorite place was the Llama Temple which is both a temple for worship and a monastery for the Geluck School of Tibetan Buddhism.  The buildings and art within combines the Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. It is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. 


I immediately gained an appreciation for the Chinese archiectural design with attention to detail and use of symmetry. Balance, or feng shui (ancient Chinese aesthetic of the laws of heaven and earth and translated to "wind, water,") is revered in their culture and though suppressed during the 1960's Cultural Revolution, the symmetrical design style remains in old structures and is experiencing a renaissance with contemporary urban planning.

I will spare you the list of exotic, authentic Chinese foods we were offered at each meal and instead post a few pictures of design inspirations from Beijing.

Chinese lantern outside a tea house in Beijing

Llama Temple

Door to the Imperial Vault of Heaven
Temple of Heaven located in central Beijing (Taoist architecture)

Geometric ceiling with paper lanterns at Peking Duck Restaurant

Door at Summer Palace (Qing Dynasty)

Vases we found at The Celadon Story House on Donghumen Street in Beijing;
I bought a few smaller pieces as gifts for friends

Chinese lacquer chest in the Jade market outside of Beijing

Chinese chaise with gorgeous wood carving detail at the Jade Market

Armoire with silk screen and gold carved inlay

(Sun) Bursting with Joy, Off to China

(Telegraph UK)

We are Beijing-bound in less than 48 hours.  Ne-how China!  I have researched various markets and interior design shops in the three cities we will visit (Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong) and I can't wait to explore them all. Upon my return in two weeks I promise to combat the heavy weight of jetlag and immediately post some pictures and memories of the design inspirations I find.

Until then, let's celebrate Daylight Savings this weekend.  When I return the days will be longer and I'm very thankful this long, bleak winter is coming to a close.  It's time to spring forward.  Out with the EST and in with the EDT. Daylight Savings welcomes in an extra hour before the sun sets, an extra hour to enjoy the evenings without the full cloak of darkness.

In honor of more sun in our days, I've posted some of my favorite sun-centric mirrors.  (The first one is from Kellogg Collection in Richmond VA that I found with my mom the other weekend.)  On my wish list for our first house is a statement sunburst gold mirror for the dining room.

So for the next two weeks I'll be battling the masses on my first Asian adventure.  I will explore as much as possible with plans to troll many Chinese bazaars, unearthing some intricate silk fabrics for framing, porcelain tea sets, or perhaps a set of antique foo dogs.  I'm ready to head across the globe where I'll constantly be seeking inspirations and ideas for my Norfolk nest back home.

Sunburst wall in Max Aria's home
(Harpers Bazaar)

sunburst sweet dreams
(retropad.com)

red mosiac above vintage dresser, love this

love fireplaces in bedrooms
(hgtv.com)

bright ideas for a work space
(thelennoxx.com)

Ahoy Matey!

(mividabonita) 

One of my favorite Samantha Jones' quotes from "Sex and The City" is when she spies handsome navy officers walking down the street during NYC's Fleet Week. Taking off her dark shades, she announces, "Ahoy Matey!"

I grew up in Central Virginia, and thus my husband dubs me "a land lubber." While he spent his summers sailing in North Carolina, I prefered the dry ground of hunt country on the back of horse.  But despite my propensity for land over sea, I fully admit I'm looking forward to living near the water in Norfolk (the city sits at 3" above sea level).  I plan to draw decorating inspiration from my coastal surroundings and to me there is nothing more crisp than the classic combination of navy and white.  The nautical color palate is preppy, whimsical and it doesn't have to be reserved for a child's room, if done tastefully.  I'm going to cast my decorating net wide to incorporate a few seafaring accents in our first house.

(modernwingchairs.com)

(Laura Casey Interiors)

you can create your own pillow on his website
(Johnathan Adler)

The "Nautical Room" within a home in River Dunes, NC
(Coastal Living)

crisp white chair and desk
(brightboldandbeautiful)

a pair of navy chairs in velvet

Color Pops

(tracery interiors)

I'm not afraid of color, but I like to keep it contained."-- Mark Gillette

I loved the spread in this February's issue of the UK's House & Garden featuring the Manchester apartment of interior designer Mark Gillette.  His cosmopolitan glamour of clean lines, rich fabrics, and art deco furnishings, is a distinct style I'd like to replicate when designing my first home.  I plan to use color, but in moderation, tightly tailored pops of color that draw your eye to unique accent pieces.  Here are some pictures from the issue of Mark Gillette's flat (all images courtesy of House & Garden).

Hermes oragne--j'adore

Mark Gillette's use of color is best described in the quote opening this post.  It's also my personal design taste when it comes to integrating color into a space.  For my first place, I plan to use mostly black, white, grey, beige, dark brown palates with bold color accents and plentiful mirror and glass that add dimension to a room.  Here are some interiors that use color as a pop versus a backdrop.


love the chair, love the disco ball, love the curved stone mantle, love everything
(Dylan Thomas for British Vogue)

while this room is too modern for my first home, orange is one of my favorite colors
(moderninteriordesigns.blogspot.com)

the shape of these yellow chairs compliments the geometric design of the window valance
The Viceroy Hotel in Palm Springs, room decorated by the color maven Kelly Wearstler
(herbchambers.com)

turquoise is one of my favorite accent colors
(Suzanne Kasler)