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Elle Decoration China 2019 annual: 1 Wor by Domani

10 projects by Chinese interior designers worth knowing about

Elle Decoration China has released an annual showcasing work from the country's best interior designers, featuring everything from a playful office to a pared-back hotel. Dezeen interiors reporter Natasha Levy picks out 10 of the best.

Named the China Interior Design Annual, the 240-page book published by Elle Decoration boasts over 100 interior designer projects, as well as interviews with industry leaders like design studio Neri & Hu and architect Steve Leung.

See the full selection below:


Chinese interior designers, Elle Decoration China 2019 annual: 1 Wor by Domani

1 Wor, Guangdong, by Domani

Domani rejected traditional store design ideas to create a "strange and angular space" for 1 Wor, a fashion brand that offers a curated selection of pieces from designers across the globe.

The boutique features blush-pink, sea-green and gold partition walls, intersected by a busy grid of brass displays poles – a mirrored ceiling helps further confuse visitors' perception.


Chinese interior designers, Elle Decoration China 2019 annual:

Wild Horse Ridge, Zhejiang, by Interior Design Architecture

Situated in the ancient rural village of Malingjiao, Wild Horse Ridge has been created by Interior Design Architecture to be a place of "friendly gathering in the mountains".

Occupying a series of abandoned houses, the hotel's interiors feature stone walls, blackened timber ceilings, and an abundance of plants that are kept lush with a concealed watering system.


Chinese interior designers, Elle Decoration China 2019 annual:

Powerlong creative lab, Shanghai, by X+Living

X+Living looked to the aesthetic of industrial factories when developing the interiors of this ideas lab for Chinese firm Powerlong.

Giant tanks form spacious walkways, while service pipes have been left exposed and painted pink. Stool seats in the cafe area have been made to look like oversized screws.


Chinese interior designers, Elle Decoration China 2019 annual: Max Vision by Jin Design Studio

Max Vision, Ningbo, by Jin Design Studio

A sweeping indoor slide adds an element of fun to this child-friendly office in Belgium, which Jin Design Studio converted from a four-storey villa.

The rest of the workspace has expansive windows and porthole-style openings that make the formerly dark and closed-off interiors more "visually malleable".


Chinese interior designers, Elle Decoration China 2019 annual:

East-West, Shenzhen, by Horizontal Space Design

East-West restaurant in Shenzhen has been decked out in natural materials to remind diners to be "keenly aware of life".

Timber floorboards and red earth walls feature throughout the dining spaces, which look through to a small courtyard centred by a mature banyan tree.


Chinese interior designers, Elle Decoration China 2019 annual: The Library Home, Shanghai, by Atelier TAO+C

Shanghai Apartment, Shanghai, by Atelier Tao + C

Atelier Tao + C erected floor-to-ceiling oak bookshelves around the perimeter of this apartment to turn it into one huge library.

Set within one of the oldest high-rise residential buildings in Shanghai, the home also includes a white marble bathroom, glass-encased bedroom, and a mezzanine where inhabitants can escape to read.


Chinese interior designers, Elle Decoration China 2019 annual: Oro Tiramisuteca store by Nong Studio

Oro Tiramisuteca, Shanghai, by Nong Studio

Nong Studio aptly tried to channel Italian style throughout this Shanghai cafe, which specialises in making the dessert tiramisu.

While the grooved service counter has crafted from walnut wood, an adjacent wall has been covered in pink-hued wallpaper that boasts a kaleidoscopic print of Milan's renowned Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Pink velvet chairs add an extra touch of opulence.


Chinese interior designers, Elle Decoration China 2019 annual:

Hangzhou Fuchun Kaiyuanfang Grassland Country Hotel, Hangzhou, by Caaladi

The guest suites of this hotel nestle against the shore of the Jiandefuchun River and are meant to mimic the humble dwellings of tribes that resided by the water from as early as the 14th century.

Interiors are almost entirely lined with wood and dressed with cool-tone furnishings, while skylights in the ceilings serve as "picture frames" through which guests can observe local wildlife.


Chinese interior designers, Elle Decoration China 2019 annual:

Muh Shoou Xixi, Hangzhou, by Goa

Minimalist rooms draw focus to the surrounding landscape of this hotel, which is set amongst the ponds, lakes and swamps of Xixi National Wetland Park.

Recycled planks of wood, rusted steel and marble have been applied throughout the communal areas, materials which the studio hopes will eventually reflect the passage of time.


Chinese interior designers, Elle Decoration China 2019 annual: Lievito gourmet pizza restaurant by MDDM Studio

Lievito Gourmet Pizza, Beijing, by MDDM Studio

Grey terrazzo floors, walls, and dining tables merge to form the muted-tone interiors of this pizzeria in Beijing, which overlooks the city's Liangma River.

The colour palette is broken up by black-frame chairs and a chunky brass bar counter where diners can sit and watch the chefs at work in the kitchen.