Featured this week is The Design Republic Commune opened by Architecture studio Neri&Hu. The design gallery, shop and event space is a beautifully refurbished former colonial police station in Shanghai’s Jingan district. Sighting this on my daily design stalk on Deezeen; I was struck by both the aesthetics and the concept of this building.
Photography is by Pedro Pegenaute.
Lyndon Neri told Dezeen, "The concept for the Design Commune is to bring designers from around the city to hopefully have a place where they can have a discourse in architecture, in product design, in interior design,”
“To have a place where they could shop, a place where they could rest, a place where they could meander and wander and see different shops and different stores, different products, and at the same time be a part of an exhibition, or be part of a gallery, or be part of a talk.” What a luxury for the local design community to have access to such a space. This is how designers grow and push boundaries; with these innovative forms of interaction. Spaces like this should exist in every city.
The renovated brick building houses a series of design stores and showrooms, including the new flagship for Neri&Hu‘s own furniture brand, Design Republic. The simple material palette of white plaster, metal sheeting and glass leaves the raw, beautifully restored brickwork of the building as the feature of the interlocking spaces.
Photography is by Pedro Pegenaute.
Elsewhere in the building, the architects have created a restaurant, a cafe, a lecture hall and a one-room hotel. I love the idea of the one room hotel; like taking things back to university days when you work till all hours and sleep over because you will be back in three hours anyway - and leaving would disturb the mind-flow. I'd love to buy the one room hotel and just live here.
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