topos design clans turns a home in shanghai into a flexible art gallery

to create an ‘artland’ in a shanghai apartment for four, chinese studio topos design clans has transformed the cluttered space into a flexible workshop and art gallery. featuring sliding partitions and various storage systems, the studio can serve as an exhibition and working space as well as a lively and welcoming home.

all images © creatAR images

the living room, like a three-dimensional canvas, is clad with grey ceramic tiles on the floor coverings, which are easy to clean, with a texture that feels raw but real. the luminous ceiling, covered with three pieces of full-length PVC membrane, provides three types of lighting modes — for painting, exhibition, and living.

in the corner space next to the entrance, there is a group of storage cabinets — after investigating the painter’s working process, topos design clans categorized his drawing tools in different cabinets according to their sizes and uses. among the cabinets, there hides a movable partition of two-meter width, which can be a display wall for the gallery.

in the center of the apartment, there is a golden kennel for two dogs: the main façade of the kennel is an abstract pixelized drawing wall depicting their portrait. the corridor continues using the golden plates and becomes an extension of the gallery. there are three hidden doors in the corridor, covering three colorful private rooms.

the theme color of the restroom is jungle green, using green handmade tiles on the wall, while the pink toilet becomes a bright spot in this small space. the kitchen is lake blue in various hues — the yellow cushions and the yellow lamp make a perfect dating place. the bedroom is decorated with the pink painting on the wall which brings romance and love into the room featuring two windows on east and south.

project info:

project name: artland in shanghai

project area: 80 sqm

design: 2018.03

construction: 2018.04

architect firm: topos design clans

principle architect: lin chen

design team: lv jie, zhu jianming, lu liyuan

lighting consultant: wang zilu mep

engineering: wang bihu

graphic consultant: suzy zhang

decoration: suzy zhang, lu liyuan

furniture brand: ziinlife

tile brand: gozo

switch brand: gongniu

kitchen brand: rinnai

construction firm: yuanheng decoration

photography: creatar images (ai qing, wu jianquan)

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: maria erman | designboom