Japanese cuisine, German Chef, English Designer: Red Design is proud to present UMI, a restaurant which opened in the much-anticipated new Swire Properties mall in Shanghai, Taikoo Hui, in early 2018.

With a name and concept derived from the Japanese word for ocean, the design aesthetic for Umi is anchored with a Japanese soul.  Traditional Japanese principles of architecture and design combine with western detailing and finishes to form a cohesive interior space.  The concept is also evident in designer’s material palette: materials are selected which react to the effects of the sea.  Aligned to the same concept, a unique oriental cuisine for Umi is designed by internationally recognized chef Bjoern Alexander.

AD magazine sampled ‘A Taste of the Sea’ when visiting the restaurant, hidden on the 4^th Floor of Taikoo Hui.  Entered via a private lift from the 3^rd, the visitor is suddenly amazed by a teal-shined sea view.

Ultimately Umi is a Japanese restaurant, bar & lounge with western influences guiding the cuisine and alcohol offering.  As designer Michael McGirr says: “What is attractive at UMI is the hybrid of Japanese cuisine, German ingredients, and English touch; just like Shanghai, this creates an enticing environment that embraces all kinds”.

Reconnecting with the origins of Red Design, we revisit one of our early projects in Koh Samui, Thailand.

In 2008 we were chosen to envisage a new architectural vision which would respond to a raw, unspoilt piece of beachfront; the project would become Baan Hinta and Baan Hinyai, two bespoke villas which combine to form a beautiful resort village. Our task was not to overpower the natural qualities of the site, but to create a design language, which enveloped these qualities within the new accommodation. We created a resort deftly arranged around a series of granite boulders, the crystalline quality of which create an iconic, elemental quality to the space. Upon reaching the top of the site, an infinity pool seamless connects sea to sky, achieving a true sense of paradise. Inspired by local vernacular architecture and using natural materials, the design has set a benchmark for luxury island living for the last decade.

Although Red Design are no strangers to INTERNI & Décor magazine, we are honoured to be featured again in the first edition of 2018.

2017 has treated our company well: Red Design celebrated its 10 years anniversary, opened an office in London and the company partners, Matthew Lemar & Michael McGirr, received the AD100 Award for the most influential Architects and Designers in China 2017.

We are proud that our dedication has been witnessed around the world, including in the January 2018 issue of INTERNI & Décor. In a feature on rising design talent, the cross-cultural influences that form the design philosophies of Matthew and Michael are discussed and highlighted in a series of our projects.

The 12-page article featuring three of our outstanding projects in 2017 – Highline, T8, and Shanghai Brewery – which highlight our design principles. Matthew Lemar is heavily influenced by living and working in some of the great world cities like London and Shanghai, with the unexpected juxtapositions between heritage and modernity. In contrast, Michael McGirr’s philosophy, developed in Japan, values the idea of asymmetry: the philosophies of Ma (the play between positive & negative space) and Sabi (the art of imperfection) continues to inspire and fascinate him. Both of them received rich culture shocks, these experiences collided and made today’s Red Design.

Red Design was established in Shanghai and in 2017 celebrated its 10 year anniversary. Design is our lifelong passion: as well as creating innovative spaces for our esteemed clients it was our goal for 2017 to create a unique environment for our team in Shanghai. The new space would be a home for Red Design’s 30 architects and interior designers, enabling our creative talents to continue to thrive for the next ten years.

We sought out a new home in the central historical area at Tianzifang, a standalone warehouse building with charming characters, neighbors and beautiful surroundings. The ancient structure of the space was exposed and with the new insertions our objective was to create a space with comfort and harmony. We insisted on using environmentally friendly materials: timber is the majority, glass and concrete as a secondary base; brass, leather and nature fabric bring softness and tactility to the space.

Ultimately, we wish our colleagues, friends and visitors to experience a healthy, natural environment; as comfortable as home. With this objective in mind we provided relaxed communal spaces and integrated intelligent facilities such as water purifiers, air purifiers, and microclimate planting design.

A special article about Shanghai’s rapid development through the eyes of Dominic Ngai, who has been a resident in Shanghai since 2009.

The article focusses on new hospitality openings, and especially on ways in which the traditional ideas of hotels and restaurants are being replaced by broader ideas of lifestyle and trend.  Many of the keywords that define Shanghai’s 21^st century hospitality experience – all-day, casual, café, western, mid-century, brunch and bar – are exemplified by Highline, Red Design’s contribution to the article.

In creating Highline with co-owners Cody Allen, John Liu and Michael Sun, Red Design looked to the mid-century American style the ‘Mad Men’; it is interesting therefore how Dominic Ngai sees a relationship between New York and Shanghai; as he says, the city is “like New York on steroids”.

In 2016, Red Design was surfing the California wave throughout the year. At ‘Highline’, Red Design bring mid-century California vibes to Shanghai, including in the vivid colour of the furniture throughout the space.  This furniture was designed in collaboration with MatzForm, a Danish-run, Shanghai-based furniture company.

Highline’s interior takes cues from the mid-century design language of Eero Saarinen and Frank Lloyd Wright, interpreting organic forms of natural stone to transform the space into an urban gem. Given the influence of Danish furniture on this era, MatzForm’s furniture is perfectly embedded in this design ideology.

The MatzForm approach offers a customizable service using imported and locally available woods, loving hand sanded to a silky softness then finished and polished to a soft glow. At Highline, walnut and oak frames combine with upholstery in a Californian palette of orange, greenery, nude and sand fabric and leather.

The combination of the refined spatial design and comfortable lounge furniture enable the customer to enjoy the California scenery in Shanghai: a stunning sunrise and sunset can be experienced on the elevated terrace overlooking Huaihai Park. Although Soren Matz, the founder of MatzForm, says “in our generation, we never dine in low seats”, the generation of young influencers that visit Highline have adapted to this new way of dining, creating a new restaurant paradigm in Shanghai.

IFDM magazine, an Italian trade magazine based in Milan with a focus on luxury furniture and design, approached Red Design to feature the Highline in its special issue “Shanghai on Design”.

The issue was released in conjunction with the November 2017 exhibition “Salone del Mobile Shanghai”. Red Design is once again honoured to be mentioned at this international event.

Alessandra Bergamini’s piece focuses on the Red Design’s broad range of completed projects in 2016, including Ostra, Silex, Mr Pancake House, T8 and Highline. On the latter, she explores the spatial solutions and sophisticated materiality that transformed a challenging space into the leading destination restaurant in downtown Shanghai and “a ‘taste’ of supreme iconic Californian style.” – IFDM

Red Design turns 10!

Our tenth birthday has been an opportunity to look back at where we have come from and celebrate our growth as a company.

Shanghai was a very different place when we established Red Design. A city under perpetual construction, we were excited by the opportunities presented by our adopted home. From a humble warehouse on Suzhou Creek we rode the wave of development, creating some of the restaurants and bars that would become Shanghai institutions. We enjoyed visiting them too!

Fast forward 10 years and it is malls, metro and Mobikes that define the Shanghai experience in 2017. Red Design has been at the forefront of this change, embracing the building, infrastructure and technological developments that have made Shanghai a world city.

We have created spaces that encapsulate healthy eating trends (Element Fresh), the craft beer revolution (Shanghai Brewery; Boxing Cat) and the intersection of casual and fine dining (Highline; T8). We have supported a host of international brands as they break into China (Outback; Pizza Express; Dunkin’ Donuts). And we have created new resorts in previously unexplored locations from Moganshan to Changbaishan.

Many of the clients, consultants and suppliers that have helped Red on our journey gathered at Highline on 22^nd June to join the celebration of our tenth birthday. Peter Mackey and Jon Grant, founding partners of Red, joined Matthew Lemar and Michael McGirr as we cut our birthday cake and thanked clients for their support. We look forward to ten more successful years!

Red Design are proud and grateful to be selected for the AD100 2017.

Commencing in 2013, the AD100 is the architectural design magazine’s selection of the most influential Architects and Designers in China.

As well as inclusion on the AD100 list, we were honored to attend the AD100 preview dinner in March 2017, participating in a round table discussion with a group of Shanghai’s leading design talent.

Red Design were featured in Creative Hunt, Shanghai’s largest creative industry resource, in a piece which explored the leading venues in Shanghai and the design talent behind them.

Saigon Mama was included as an exemplar project showcasing the successful outcome when interior design and branding agencies collaborate.

Saigon Mama has grown from an unpromising first location in an underused garage space at the Shanghai Centre (“maybe the worst location in Shanghai” – Creative Hunt) to a growing chain with locations in the leading malls in Shanghai & Beijing.

In appointing Red Design and Thread, Shanghai’s leading branding agency and long-time Red collaborator, the client built a proven team to create their concept. The result is the leading Vietnamese casual dining brand in China.

T8 is published in the June 2017 issue of 安邸AD magazine.

T8 is a Shanghai dining institution, a pioneering fine dining restaurant with over 15 years history voted one of the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants.

Among the original tenants of Shanghai Xintiandi, T8 brought in the legendary design talent Jaya Ibrahim and Wonderwall to design each floor of the two storey lane house, creating an award-winning venue loved for its pioneering design and innovative fusion cuisine.

Red Design was handed the next and possibly the most daunting challenge in the evolution of T8: redesigning the venue for a new modern mall location, maintaining the charm and heritage of the original location while expanding the restaurants appeal to a younger, more fashion conscious customer.

Intelligent repurposing of the original fixtures and finishes, combined with an innovative lighting design and integrated terrace solution, results in a venue which offers a dining experience in a space which is both familiar and fresh.

Red Design has been working with the pioneering healthy food brand Element Fresh for over a decade, and we are proud to say that we have achieved great things together with this iconic Shanghai-born brand.

In the last ten years Element Fresh has opened more than 40 stores throughout China and Red Design is honored to have shared this journey with the Element Fresh team. We have worked closely with Scott Minoie, the Managing Director of Element Fresh, on the design of every store to date, including the recently opened store in Wuhan.

We were especially excited to design the Wuhan store because it is both the first Element Fresh in Wuhan and the first to be co-branded with the French and Australian Open winning tennis star Li Na. We were proud to create a concept, which fused the Element Fresh brand DNA with a spirit of sport for this important location.

Red Design was approached by INTERNI & Decor, an interior subscription magazine in Korea. Our featured project in the April 2017 edition was Lan Hotel and Spa, a 228 room hotel and hot spring spa located in Changbaishan, Jilin Province, one of the leading ski resorts in China.

Red Design was appointed to revitalize the interior of an existing hotel, creating a boutique resort environment to appeal to global travelers, winter sports enthusiasts and design junkies.

The hotel design draws inspiration from the geological strata that make up the volcano after which Changbaishan is named. Each floor of the 10 storey building has a different style inspiration from the LAVA lobby lounge to the LAKE rooftop bar. This stratified design is intended to represent the experience of climbing Changbai Mountain, an experience where it is said you encounter four seasons in one journey.

Highline has been published in the April 2017 issue of 安邸AD magazine.

In late 2015 Red Design were commissioned by a group of Shanghai’s leading F+B figures with a pedigree including Coquille, Le Baron and The Muse Group to create an iconic venue at the The Ascott Serviced Apartments.

We created Highline, a minimalist mid-century modern influence, which gives local socialites a taste of Californian lifestyle in downtown Shanghai.

The program and site were challenging: the dark, low ceilinged space was to function as an all-day dining venue, lounge and bar for both hotel guests and visitors.  Fortunately, an expansive terrace adjoins the space and we were able to extend the dining room onto this terrace, creating a sunlit skyroom, which forms a transition between the intimate dining room and the spectacular views from the terrace.

The design inspiration behind Highline takes cues from the iconic mid-century modern architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Eero Saarinen, creating a space, which was unique to Shanghai in its simplicity. This refined minimalist approach has proven successful: the venue has generated significant buzz since opening in late 2016 and is now enjoyed by 800 customers each day.

Red Design was approached by DMP Books, a professional architectural, interior & graphic publishing company in Seoul, Korea, to feature in IPLUS Magazine, a specialist interiors title. Our featured project in the December 2016 edition was Mr Pancake House in Shanghai, China.

Completed in October 2016, Mr. Pancake House is a contemporary American restaurant serving a range of classic American breakfast and staple foods for the affluent local market. The design concept was drawn from the origins of the American breakfast, specifically the early 20^th century marketing campaigns which popularized the quintessential American breakfast. The graphical style of these marketing campaigns was applied throughout the space creating fun wallpapers, graphic sketches on table tops and brick advertising artwork and achieving a sense of playful quirkiness.