Shanghai Showroom

At the outset of a new year, the opening of Di Jia Li’s (de Gournay) flagship showroom in Shanghai completes a full circle: from the revival of an ancient Chinese craft to the emergence of the first international Chinese luxury goods brand.

Located within a historic apartment building at the confluence of the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek, overlooking the gardens of the former British Consulate-General, the new showroom brings together tradition and modernity, past and present. This duality reflects the designs for which de Gournay is renowned: ‘Chinoiserie’ wallpapers, named after the fascination with the East that swept through seventeenth-century Europe and produced a Western interpretation of Chinese decorative art that continues to shape the house’s aesthetic.

Established in China in the mid-1980s, de Gournay has long bridged two worlds, combining millennia of Chinese painting tradition with the decoration of palaces and private residences across the globe. The exceptional skill of its Chinese artists and designers, working together with the best Western interior designers, exemplifies this enduring dialogue between East and West. This new flagship for the Di Jia Li (de Gournay) brand is it’s most ambitious to date — reflecting China’s central role in the contemporary world while honouring the depth and refinement of its artistic heritage.

Coinciding with the Year of the Horse — a symbol of vitality, strength, and forward momentum — the opening also marks a moment of renewed energy for the house, whose identity as creator of the world’s finest hand-painted wallpapers and hand-embroidered fabrics continues to evolve under this auspicious sign of the Chinese zodiac.

The 400 m² showroom has been entirely conceived and realised by de Gournay’s in-house creative team as a complete decorative environment, showcasing the full breadth of the house’s artistry. To complement this setting, a series of new hand-painted wallpapers and hand-embroidered fabrics has been created especially to celebrate the opening, each design reflecting both the brand’s heritage and its ongoing evolution.

MARQUETRIE BUND

Hand-painted depictions of ebony, maple, and burr marquetry form the elegant panorama of ‘Marquetrie Bund’, portraying Shanghai’s historic waterfront, celebrated for its 19th-century architecture. Drawing inspiration from England’s Eltham Palace and its exquisite Art Deco panelled entrance, refined interpretations of the Bund’s European-style skyline are framed by views of Yu Garden and its classical pavilions, while verdant, large-scale trees rise gracefully onto the ceiling.

FU LU SHOU

Named for the ‘three stars’ of Chinese mythology, ‘Fu Lu Shou’ presents hand-embroidered symbols of good fortune, prosperity, and longevity in a fresh, contemporary interpretation of a traditional theme. Arranged in a totemic style, sketchlike renditions of flora, antique vessels, and wishing trees drift across the woven surface. Cotton, silk, and wool threads are worked in techniques ranging from twisted cords to blanket, quilted, and split chain stitching. Elegant moiré and silk appliqué add further depth and dimension to the composition.

FOUR GENTLEMEN

Known in Chinese culture as the ‘Four Gentlemen’, or ‘Four Noble Ones’, plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum represent the four seasons within the Chinese art tradition. Symbolising resilience, grace, integrity, and perseverance, these graceful motifs are delicately hand-embroidered using an array of techniques to achieve exquisite dimensionality. The ethereal composition is formed through the interplay of silk and metallic threads, which intertwine to create fluid, painterly depictions. Soft clouds drift in tonal layers behind the textured flora, while chain stitching and battered soft wire lend structure to the branches, adorned with silk blossoms that glimmer through subtle metallic shading and outlines.

TAI CHI

Created for the tea room, ‘Tai Chi’ is a hand-painted, contemporary interpretation of the bold characters of traditional Chinese calligraphy. Energetic brushstrokes pirouette across the tiled composition, defined by broad, confident marks achieved through semi-dry brushes. Painted, then deliberately deconstructed and reassembled, fragmented motifs diverge across the wallpaper’s segments, forming a modern, tessellated design of movement and balance.

Cookies

Shanghai Showroom