AT the corner of Huiahai Road M. and Wulumuqi Road is an imposing building that recalls the grandeur of a 1930s mansion. Now the residence of the French consul-general in Shanghai, the garden mansion was built by French architects from Credit Foncier d’Extrême-Orient in 1921.

In 1980, president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing inaugurated the residence as the Consulate General and it has since then been a strong symbol of French and Chinese relations.

Consul-general Axel Cruau and his wife Dourene Cassam-Chenai-Cruau, along with their two kids moved into the residence in 2015 after Axel’s previous posting in Los Angeles.

While Axel has been busy with his diplomatic job, Dourene has taken up the domestic job and worked her magic of turning the rather classic historic residence into a welcoming, modern living space.

“When I first discovered the French residence, I was both thrilled and challenged: thrilled by the architecture, the garden, the history coming with the house yet challenged because as the Consulate and then the Residence of France,” she says.

“It has been welcoming thousands of guests, among them numerous presidents, ministers, scientists, artists, business people …so I had to strike the right balance between the past and the present, the public and the personal, France and China,” she says.

“With my husband, we wanted the residence to be an open door to France. We wish to showcase to our Chinese guests and friends the best of France: its creativity, its Art de Vivre, and its modernity.

“We feel lucky that so many artists, companies, designers shared the same vision and helped us achieve this while showcasing their own DNA at this residence.”

The residence still has the romantic air of an old estate. Inside, a sense of monumental scale and strong creativity dominates.

The first floor is composed of a functional space, the sun room, the library, the study, the dining room and adjacent bar lounge.

At the same time, a sense of airy openness is created.

“Everywhere I’m looking, I feel amazed by the genius minds who have transformed the space. They not only met the requirements of each room but also sublimed them. They gave them a soul: elegant yet colorful, modern yet anchored in the past, official yet warm and welcoming,” Dourene says.

A group of designers have contributed their talents and ideas at this residence. Vera Chu from Vermilion Zhou Design helped to shine light and brought warm LED on the top edge of the dark wooden panel.

Magali Tridot from Roche Bobois got the conversation going between the past and the present by creating a very cozy atmosphere in cappuccino tones in the library, and invitation to unwind and read.

“In the sun room, she convinced me that the bold yellow 3D fabric of the bubble sofa collection would echo to the garden. And she was right! Still the sunroom, to complement the vibrant fabric and classic tiles, Jing Qiang and Mora Papier designed a very modern rug that can separate in two parts: the first design of their newly launched line ‘MEW’.”

Back to the library, the neutral tones are sublimed by the colorful street art pieces from the Magda Danysz Gallery. The crystal pieces from Baccarat, silverware by Christofle and Bronze from Zoe Candelon-Vayssieres catch sunrays in different ways and tell their own stories.

“It’s an invitation for the eyes before entering the official, calm, serene yet very masculine office designed in collaboration with Jiang Qiong’er from Shang Xia and Hermes team,” Dourene said.

On the other side of the building, Virginie Moriette and Xu Ming from DESIGN MVW, recreated the dining room and the bar. They sublimed the wooden panel using noble material and colors as deep blue, grey, accent of gold, marble and jade. Every piece has been custom made to echo the heritage of the building.

“This designer couple is magician. They created a new line of chairs, luminaries, sofa, side tables, bar chairs and mirrors.

“One can only imagine the tremendous work behind each custom-made furniture piece but they don’t show off, they don’t let the customer feel any difficulties.

“In the end you get more than you expected within the deadline. They literally transformed the way we receive our guests. The style is truly unique, and it’s a love declaration to Shanghai.”

“I like the present to be an homage to the past but more than that to serve as an invitation to build the future,” Dourene said. “The transformation of the space is an on-going process. I’m working with Alexandre Chary who is designing for Fengshuo and Baptiste Bohu from BB Design who is remodeling the entrance.”

Asked where she likes to spend the most of the time at this residence, Dourene says:

“I have a busy schedule, so there is no particular room where I spend all my time. We are hosting several receptions a week with various formats.

“We use different rooms or the garden depending on the number of guests, the purpose of the visit and the weather, of course.

“Most of the guests are raving about the residence and they feel the energy, the heart and the passion.”

Q: What’s the best thing about living in Shanghai?

A: There are so many reasons why I am in love with Shanghai, but if I need to trim it down to one point it would be because like in Paris (where I come from), you can at the same time feel the heritage of the past and the traction toward the future.

Q: Describe your home in three words.

A: Moving every couple of years, the notion of home is very easy: My husband, daughter and son.

Q: What’s the first thing you do when you get home?

A: When I come to the residence, the first thing I do is go through the schedule with the staff. We are hosting lots of events and receptions. I make sure that everything is on track.

Q: How do you unwind?

A: When I need to unwind, I just stop and try to get aware of my surroundings. I listen to the birds chirp, I look out of the window ... and then I am good to go again.

Q: Where do you spend most of the time at home?

A: As an entrepreneur, I work from home, so wherever the laptop is, I am not far away.

Q: What’s the view outside your window?

A: The view out of the window is perfect. Looking north out of the window, we are in the middle of the bustling city life, on the other side we are plunged into a peaceful and lush greenery.

Q: What’s your favorite object at home?

A: I love all the art and design we have at the residence but I have a special place in my heart for the art pieces from Denis Bloch Galerie in Beverly Hills. They resonate with important dates in our life, our wedding, the birth of our children, our moving to Shanghai.

Q: Where do you source furniture in Shanghai?

A: Since I arrived in Shanghai I have worked with incredibly talented designers, the kind of people that transform a house into a home.

In order of encounter: Magalie Tridot from Roche Bobois, Vera Chu from Vermilion Zhou Design, Jiang Qiong’er from Shang Xia, Virginie Moriette and Xu Ming from DESIGN MVW, Francois Mainetti from Hermes, Jing Qiang and Mora Papier from MEW Rug. For the accents I worked with Cindy Tai from Baccarat, Valerie Debray from Christofle.

For the art with Zoe Candelon Vayssiere for the bronze pieces and Magda Danysz from the Magda Danysz Galerie for the street art pieces. And it’s not over because I am working currently with Alexandre Chary (Fengshuo), Margaux Lhermitte (Neon) and BB (Baptiste Bohu Design).