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City charmer blends rich past with modern fixtures
By Patsy Yang |
May 24, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
PHILIPPE Jeangeorge's charming apartment in the heart of the city embraces the artful coexistence of cutting-edge with vintage and antique. All the elements that define Shanghai as a world city, the harmony between heritage and modernity, can be found in this home.
And the mixing of periods reveals the homeowner's personality, demonstrating how avant-garde design can live comfortably with historical pieces.
Jeangeorge was offered in late 2006 the job to audit a fresh and upcoming start-up company in Shanghai. He arrived in January 2007 for a two-month posting and never returned to Paris, drawn by Shanghai's mystery, paradoxes and culture as so many in the past who have succumbed to its attractions. He now works in investment and business development.
His first house was an art deco building with a very original old Shanghai theme, typical for its external fittings as well as for its interior setup. The new place he now calls home is a rented apartment and as he couldn't change the structure, he decided to define and shape the rooms to mould them to his liking.
"When I moved to this current apartment it was decided to 'modernize it' with new sofa covers (brighter colored linen/cotton rather than old dark leather), mixing modern lamp designs and furniture into the old Shanghai world,'' he said.
The neutral white background sets the stage for the very vibrant colors of the artwork and furnishings. In every corner of the house, Jeangeorges created a showcase for his impressive collections, from vintage biscuits boxes to unique bathroom ducks, as well as many famous designer produced pieces.
"The theme is very mixed with personal life experience - an impression of the old Shanghai world (where I am now), what I imagine of China in the 1960s (the bright color used in posters, artifacts or decor of that era), colors and sensuousness of Southeast Asia (my favorite part of the world), and of course Western influences (mainly modern European pieces, mostly originating in France, Germany and the United Kingdom),'' he said.
"I don't think there is a rule to combine the styles. An apartment is the translation of a personal vision of life, a person's character and traits. As long as home feels comfortable no one would contradict.''
Sculptural sophistication
Filipino designer Kenneth Cobonpue's Croissant sofa - strands of abaca rope tied down by translucent nylon wires over a hand-sculpted frame of light steel - in the living room and Tom Dixon Copper Shade lighting in the dining area, bring a sculptural sophistication to the interior. The pure copper light, using a microns thick vacuum metalized film, on the interior of a polycarbonate sphere, creates an enriched and softened light source.
The contrast is most vivid and obvious when observing the reflection of the home decor in the mirror-like copper light hanging above the dining table.
Lavish green plants blossoming in the apartment mix with vintage teak glassware closets pared with mosaic colored glass panels, the colors and feeling all harmoniously colliding into a fusion of colorful shades, the mixture of time and epoch, to reflect upon the walls, furniture and flooring.
"My opinion is that a home has to live like us, has to evaluate like us with existing furniture and new acquisitions and be in tune with the city in which we live. I do not have a favorite room and each room has its own function,'' Jeangeorges said.
In the living room, it's about creating a tropical feel with lots of green plants and Southeast Asian furniture and rugs plus a dash of warm red and orange for good feng shui.
The dining room inspiration is Shanghai old charm with a Tom Dixon lamp to give it a sharp contrast yet be in tune with the city's sharp contrasts of old and new, vintage and modern, old world taste and upfront contemporary colors and feel.
The study is bright and very green. "I am trying to create a fresh feel to it so that when I am working in the study I can feel the same as in the deco mood,'' he said.
The bedroom is very relaxing and was decorated in order to stimulate deep and soothing sleeping time.
"The pieces in the apartment have been collected wherever I have traveled - Malaysia, France, China to name a few important countries,'' he said.
"The biscuit bins have very interesting and representative graphic design and hence I have decided to collect them as part of home decor. I like everything with 'double happiness' so the bin with 'double happiness' is my favorite.''
He believes that discovering a country through its antiquities and curios is also a way to better understand the civilization, inhabitants, cultural habits and customs. "It is very complementary to museums and books. The antiques are part of the past, yet they are true to our times."
The decor is not something static. It is changing, depending on the hours of the day, the amount of sun rays penetrating the room, the mood or background music played at the time and guests animating the place.
And the mixing of periods reveals the homeowner's personality, demonstrating how avant-garde design can live comfortably with historical pieces.
Jeangeorge was offered in late 2006 the job to audit a fresh and upcoming start-up company in Shanghai. He arrived in January 2007 for a two-month posting and never returned to Paris, drawn by Shanghai's mystery, paradoxes and culture as so many in the past who have succumbed to its attractions. He now works in investment and business development.
His first house was an art deco building with a very original old Shanghai theme, typical for its external fittings as well as for its interior setup. The new place he now calls home is a rented apartment and as he couldn't change the structure, he decided to define and shape the rooms to mould them to his liking.
"When I moved to this current apartment it was decided to 'modernize it' with new sofa covers (brighter colored linen/cotton rather than old dark leather), mixing modern lamp designs and furniture into the old Shanghai world,'' he said.
The neutral white background sets the stage for the very vibrant colors of the artwork and furnishings. In every corner of the house, Jeangeorges created a showcase for his impressive collections, from vintage biscuits boxes to unique bathroom ducks, as well as many famous designer produced pieces.
"The theme is very mixed with personal life experience - an impression of the old Shanghai world (where I am now), what I imagine of China in the 1960s (the bright color used in posters, artifacts or decor of that era), colors and sensuousness of Southeast Asia (my favorite part of the world), and of course Western influences (mainly modern European pieces, mostly originating in France, Germany and the United Kingdom),'' he said.
"I don't think there is a rule to combine the styles. An apartment is the translation of a personal vision of life, a person's character and traits. As long as home feels comfortable no one would contradict.''
Sculptural sophistication
Filipino designer Kenneth Cobonpue's Croissant sofa - strands of abaca rope tied down by translucent nylon wires over a hand-sculpted frame of light steel - in the living room and Tom Dixon Copper Shade lighting in the dining area, bring a sculptural sophistication to the interior. The pure copper light, using a microns thick vacuum metalized film, on the interior of a polycarbonate sphere, creates an enriched and softened light source.
The contrast is most vivid and obvious when observing the reflection of the home decor in the mirror-like copper light hanging above the dining table.
Lavish green plants blossoming in the apartment mix with vintage teak glassware closets pared with mosaic colored glass panels, the colors and feeling all harmoniously colliding into a fusion of colorful shades, the mixture of time and epoch, to reflect upon the walls, furniture and flooring.
"My opinion is that a home has to live like us, has to evaluate like us with existing furniture and new acquisitions and be in tune with the city in which we live. I do not have a favorite room and each room has its own function,'' Jeangeorges said.
In the living room, it's about creating a tropical feel with lots of green plants and Southeast Asian furniture and rugs plus a dash of warm red and orange for good feng shui.
The dining room inspiration is Shanghai old charm with a Tom Dixon lamp to give it a sharp contrast yet be in tune with the city's sharp contrasts of old and new, vintage and modern, old world taste and upfront contemporary colors and feel.
The study is bright and very green. "I am trying to create a fresh feel to it so that when I am working in the study I can feel the same as in the deco mood,'' he said.
The bedroom is very relaxing and was decorated in order to stimulate deep and soothing sleeping time.
"The pieces in the apartment have been collected wherever I have traveled - Malaysia, France, China to name a few important countries,'' he said.
"The biscuit bins have very interesting and representative graphic design and hence I have decided to collect them as part of home decor. I like everything with 'double happiness' so the bin with 'double happiness' is my favorite.''
He believes that discovering a country through its antiquities and curios is also a way to better understand the civilization, inhabitants, cultural habits and customs. "It is very complementary to museums and books. The antiques are part of the past, yet they are true to our times."
The decor is not something static. It is changing, depending on the hours of the day, the amount of sun rays penetrating the room, the mood or background music played at the time and guests animating the place.
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