Dwellings | Chengdu: A Piece of Red Uncut Jade

Pu (璞) is jade that has not yet been carved.

In summer 2024, China Jinmao and Xuxu Huasheng opened the Puyi Oriental Aesthetics Pavilion at SKP Chengdu. Deep red, steady black, light green and lively white draw on Chengdu's red walls and bamboo shadows. The interior was furnished by Dak Haan, every piece chosen by Zhou Anbin.

The building is by ELEPHENO (Zhuxiang Architecture Studio), based in Yunnan. In Chengdu's gardens, among them Du Fu Thatched Cottage, principal architect Yang Xiong found the image of red walls and bamboo shadows: if one colour had to stand for this passionate yet easy-going city, it would be dark red. Translucent glass lets the interior show through faintly, and the colonnades of traditional Chinese architecture become a row of slender black columns holding up the space. The whole pavilion reads like a piece of warm, ardent red uncut jade.

Gathering round for hotpot, tea or a long chat is everyday life in Chengdu. ELEPHENO wanted to keep that habit of sitting around together, so they placed a double ring inside: one half-ring for seating around a bamboo garden, the other half lined with bookshelves.

Dak Haan divided the interior into four zones: the double-ring seating area, two living spaces, and a place for tea. The seating area uses the Qingfeng Chair, inspired by the wide sleeves of traditional Han dress: square yet rounded, its armrests leaning slightly forward, like a breeze brushing past a sleeve.

The Zhizhu Chair and Yanxia Table make up the tea corner. The Zhizhu Chair takes its form from the bamboo chairs found in Chengdu's street teahouses; the Yanxia Table translates the eaves of traditional Chinese buildings. Together they recall the ease of drinking tea under the eaves.

In the first living space by the entrance, a black Half-Hundred% Three-Seater Lounge Chair is full of woven detail; a red Mumu Bench is made from a round log split down the middle, keeping the raw character of the wood; and a black Xiaoyuan Lounge Chair is named after the neighbourhood where Zhou Anbin once lived. Three very different chairs gather around a stone-and-wood Zongheng Coffee Table, a rich yet harmonious visual language.

The second living space is softer and more relaxed: the bamboo-jointed Yongzhu Sofa, the Meigui Lounge Chair after the classic Ming rose chair, a light Gudun Side Table and a Linglong Coffee Table. Beside the red-upholstered Meigui Lounge Chair with its slender metal-tube arms stand two black Gudun Side Tables; in the corner before the painted screen sits a grey, curving Yongzhu Sofa.

Every piece in the pavilion was chosen by Zhou Anbin, and each has a small story of its own.

Qingfeng Chair: after the wide sleeves of traditional hanfu, square with rounded edges, its arms leaning gently forward; it furnishes the circle of seats.

Zhizhu Chair and Yanxia Table: one from the bamboo chairs of Chengdu's street teahouses, the other a translation of the eaves of traditional buildings; together, the ease of tea beneath the eaves.

Half-Hundred% Three-Seater Lounge Chair: full of woven detail, it brings the frame normally hidden inside a sofa to the outside.

Mumu Bench: a round log split down the middle, keeping the raw character of the wood.

Xiaoyuan Lounge Chair: named after the neighbourhood where Zhou Anbin lived, carrying warm memories of everyday life.

Zongheng Coffee Table: stone and wood brought together.

Yongzhu Sofa: shaped like joints of bamboo.

Meigui Lounge Chair: after the classic Ming rose chair.

Gudun Side Table and Linglong Coffee Table: light pieces that, with the sofa and lounge chairs, make a comfortable, graceful living space.

The Song-dynasty Mengliang Lu says: "Burning incense, whisking tea, hanging paintings, arranging flowers: four leisurely pursuits not to be left to servants." The pavilion also scheduled a series of salons on pu: readings led by writers, hands-on weaving, and a talk by Dak Haan's founder on pu-style living. On opening day, Zhang Zilin, Yang Xiong, He Xian and Wallpaper* China editor-in-chief Guo Jiacheng sat here to talk about new ways of contemporary living.