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November 6, 2016

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Home » Sunday » Home and Design

Lane house filled with personal touches

PIERCARLO Panozzo’s apartment in Shanghai houses an artful blend of classic Chinese furniture and fresh, modern pieces.

Hailing from Bologna, Italy, the Italian Chinese chose the lane house in the middle of the city center as his home base here years ago.

“I think for many Europeans finding a home in the former French concession reminds them of back home. It’s a bit of a melancholic feeling, which I find necessary living as an expat,” Panozzo said. “Instead of living inside a standard skyscraper, with standard blueprints and standard finishing, living inside a lane house makes me feel special and more ‘Shanghai.’”

He said the most important things in finding an ideal home were: silence, neighbors and his intuition the first time he walks in.

It took him two days to decide on this apartment. “The location at the intersection of Huaihai Road M. and Shaanxi Road S. is great. You have everything at a couple of minute distance, from shopping to restaurants, from subway to hospital,” he said.

The space, like many old lane houses, is sectioned into square rooms, and has nice French windows and high ceilings. “The small details are what count: wooden floor, nice doors and original door handles as well as clean common spaces, which are rare in lane houses around Shanghai.”

The space is divided on two floors, with a small room on the first floor that’s only accessible through the communal area. Panozzo built an indoor staircase that connects the first floor to the second through the kitchen corridor to make it more practical for daily use. As in many old Shanghainese homes, the toilets were also only accessible through a communal area. He walled that door and connected it to the apartment also through the kitchen corridor. Installing radiators was also a necessity because he found the home air conditioning system made the air too dry.

Regarding the interior style, Panozzo said: “Nothing too fancy. I really kept as much as possible of the original home: very high skirting boards at the base of the walls, old door handles, beautiful window frames.”

“Since these homes have almost 100 years of history, I find it important to respect the original style as much as I would respect an elderly person and their life experience,” he added.

Furniture wise, he sourced contemporary lighting pieces from Kartell and Artemide to contrast with the older original elements. “I placed some modern pieces with old wooden furniture my Chinese grandmother had from when she was a child. For me, home doesn’t necessarily have to have a style. I’m not creating a commercial space that has to be defined or accept customers. I just want to create a space that feels comfortable to myself and collect things that bring up memories.”

Light streams into the apartment all day and, for Panozzo, the French windows and the natural sunlight put the focus on an authentic view of Shanghai lane life.

As the apartment is relatively small, Panozzo fused the living room with the dining room. There are two big bean bags placed on a Persian rug right in front of a big shelf displaying objects and books. “Sitting on the bean bag is my favorite spot in the house. Plus it’s easy to grab a book from behind, watch TV or just take a nap,” he said.

Next to the carpet there is an old four-seater Chinese table with Kartell transparent chairs and an Artemide light that drops from the ceiling to the center of the table. The table is placed close to the windows so it can grab as much natural light as possible. The big shelf also follows behind the dining table with glasses and cooking objects.

The space is designed with both room for social life and unwinding after work.

The Italian-born half-Chinese entrepreneur has China and his family origins close to his heart. A lot of his Chinese furniture comes from his grandmother’s old house in Qintian, Zhejiang Province, such as the beautiful hand-carved and decorated wooden chairs, a wooden sink, and a wooden mahjong table. “I selected a dark wood as the primary material in the home because it makes everything more warm and cozy. In my spare time, I also often visit vintage markets around Shanghai and Suzhou,” he said.

The home is a lively space filled with art and creation. There is a wall connecting the small bedroom on the first floor to the second main living space that has been covered with a collage of pin-up posters that he had printed on rice paper. “Rice paper has a nice feeling and a nice effect after it’s been glued to the wall. All the images are different sizes and placed randomly creating a ‘wallpaper’ like effect,” he said.

He also has some pieces from a gallery but most of the items on display at home are friend’s art and photography. “I like having something that’s been created by people who are close to me and not just people who I know by name. Art is about emotions and the best emotions that art can give me is knowing personally the people who are creating it. Before I was more into paintings but now I prefer black and white photography,” Panozzo said.

“I think it’s important to have a home that also evolves over time and is not static. The decoration and art in a home must be like your wardrobe. After a certain period of time it needs to circulate, change, then go back.”

For more than a year, the highlight of Panozzo’s home has been Tony, his lovely cat. “He is basically part of the furniture. Sometimes I look at him while he is on the table, next to the flowers, with the natural light from the windows, and it just feels like he is a piece of nice decoration.”

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

A: Getting the chance to live and experience one of the most modern cities, in the fastest-developing country in the world is like participating directly into part of what will become modern history.

Q: Describe your home in three words.

A: Relaxed, friendly and spontaneous

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

A: Take off my shoes.

Q: How do you unwind?

A: Reading and cooking.

Q: What’s the best thing outside your window?

A: The birds inside the cage of the neighbor which are hanged right outside his window.

Q: How do you scent your home?

A: Mostly are scented candles I occasionally buy. Or burn some incense.

Q: What’s your favorite object at home?

A: Favorite object at home is a lamp I have next to the bed. It was given to me by an Italian friend who works with ceramics to create contemporary objects for home. It’s of cylinder shape, cream color and has a rough finishing but when the light is on it creates one of the best atmospheres.

Q: Where do you source furniture in Shanghai?

A: Mostly at vintage markets, which unfortunately are become more and more hidden. Sometimes contemporary shops.




 

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