The PuLi Shanghai has unveiled its reimagined guestrooms, marking the completion of the first phase of the hotel’s extensive renovations. Once again designed by Layan Design Studio, the visionary team behind the hotel’s original interiors, the new guestrooms are inspired by the concept of a “Collector’s Home”. Blending the PuLi Shanghai’s signature Eastern sensibility with contemporary Western design, the refreshed spaces retain the hotel’s distinctive spirit and identity while introducing a more residential and refined guest experience.
Homage to Time and Craftmanship
Designed to evoke the private home of a discerning collector, the guestrooms feature curated artworks, objects, and books organically placed throughout the living space forming a lived-in gallery of culture and calm. Low-slung sofas and coffee tables replace the original seating, while newly designed blinds with wider louvres allow natural light to shift freely throughout the day, enhancing the sense of openness and tranquillity.
Many of The PuLi’s signature design elements have been carefully retained, preserving the hotel’s cultural memory. Hand-carved camphor wood foo dogs and dragon-scaled screens remain in place as enduring symbols of the property, welcoming guests as they have since the hotel first opened.
New additions include an upgraded mini-bar, a lacquered tea box crafted through traditional urushi techniques, housing handcrafted tea ware by Leziyan, wood-fired using traditional kiln methods. A decorative copper mirror within each bedroom, refined through multiple stages of high-temperature forging and hand-finishing, further reflects the emphasis on artisanal craftmanship.
Guestrooms have also been upgraded with an intuitive electronic dial for lighting and temperature control, while seasonal floral arrangements, curated objects, and carefully selected books reinforce the feeling of a secluded urban sanctuary.
Art as a Form of Dwelling
Integral to the redesigned guestrooms are privately commissioned artworks by distinguished Asian artists Zheng Zaidong and Tay Bak Chiang. Created in response to the theme ‘In Praise of Stone’, the bespoke works offer a contemporary interpretation of the ancient Chinese tradition of scholar’s rock appreciation, celebrating the beauty, symbolism and cultural significance of stone.
Singaporean artist Tay Bak Chiang combines Eastern sensibility with modern minimalism, translating the essence of stone into abstract ink compositions that echo The PuLi Shanghai’s philosophy of authenticity, timelessness, and serene beauty. Meanwhile, Zheng Zaidong, one of China’s leading contemporary literati painters, blends Eastern poetic tradition with Western expressive techniques to create contemplative works exploring the interconnection between nature, time, and human existence.
Together with the guestrooms’ curated collection of objects, literary works and sweeping views across Shanghai, the artworks create a strong sense of place. Each guestroom becomes a private collection that not only reflects art and craftmanship, but also the quite passage of time. Every detail has been considered to create a thoughtful and residential retreat.
