The story appears on

Page A8

November 22, 2015

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » Sunday » Home and Design

Spirit of a desert explorer in luxury home

SITUATED in the center of Shanghai within a high-end residential compound, this apartment is the home of Fernando R. Vila, co-founder of Prax Capital, a private equity firm.

The Spanish native started traveling to China a decade ago and bought the apartment in Xintiandi area in the summer of 2006.

He loves the fact that its location is one block from Xintiandi and two blocks from his office on Huaihai Road. Other attractions include the Club building with its huge pool, tennis court, spa and gym.

After a few years, the homeowner decided to update the space and did a second renovation. He met Spanish designer Tucho Iglesias and was impressed by the work he had done in the Chai Living apartments in the Embankment Building. “I was impressed by the incredible talent he displayed in his furniture designs. When it came to choosing a designer for my apartment, I had no doubt Iglesias was the right person,” Vila said.

Even though Iglesias was not interested in designing for apartments in modern compounds with low ceilings and many supporting walls, he accepted the request to take the challenge.

The original layout contained three bedrooms and a small living room. Iglesias merged two bedrooms into one big master bedroom with a walk-in closet. The guest bedroom was turned into a library with a big tatami to watch TV and it is connected to the living room with a massive sliding door allowing all the space to look more open.

The homeowner wanted to merge the Western design with Chinese cultural elements. He would like to have been a traveler from centuries past, riding a horse from his family ranch in Salamanca, Spain, to the gates of Beijing and back.

Iglesias knows well when choosing a decorating theme that the personality of the resident should shine. That is what gives a home character.

After learning more about Vila, Iglesias presented a concept for the apartment, “The Gobi Desert.”

“We wanted to recreate the spirit of the explorer, the adventurous man that travels from far, spends time in the tranquility of the sand dunes, reads and relaxes before starting his trip again,” Iglesias said.

The designer always needs a concept to help him create harmonious interiors.

“This concept provides the interiors with a sense of relaxation, shelter, and low-key finishes,” he said.

Iglesias is also good at integrating elements from East and West, and tradition and modernity into a space. With soothing colors like sand, blue and some touches of earthy red, many details in the apartment are custom-made with attention to detail.

The way the artworks integrate with the interior also reflects the “Desert” theme. French painter Christian de Laubadere’s ladies could be fantasized as women from the desert while the painting by Cindy Ng behind the bed resembles a storm in the desert.

When Vila first moved to Shanghai he began buying Chinese antique furniture. He has become interested in two types of art: paintings by European artists living and working in Shanghai, and Chinese artists presenting traditional Chinese themes in modern ways.

Vila’s favorite artworks at home are “The Red Garden” painting by Yu Peng, which is in the master bedroom, and the two paintings by Christian de Laubadiere representing the necks of two Chinese women.

“‘The Red Garden’ is very lyrical, modern and traditional at the same time. The pieces by de Laubadiere are a great example of a Western artist’s interpretation of Chinese reality, the beautiful necks of Chinese women, and an adaptation of techniques and materials,” Vila said.

As for building materials, the wooden floors look very natural as the designer used washed oak. The marble was carefully chosen to resemble dunes in the desert and match the color palette of blues and sand. All the walls and doors are white-to-sand shades as a soft background.

A special furniture piece is the living-room coffee table made from walnut and bronze and featuring an early 20th century painting from Shanxi Province as the tabletop. The curtains were custom-made in Spain and the carpets were produced in India by Vila’s sisters.

“No matter if a home is designed by the owner or by a professional designer, it should always be an expression of the owner’s personality and lifestyle,” Iglesias commented.

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

A: The energy, the richness of opportunities, the mixture of foreign and Chinese elements.

 

Q: Describe your home in three words.

A: Comfortable, relaxing, interesting.

 

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

A: I kiss my wife.

 

Q: How do you unwind?

A: I read, I cook, I walk in the streets, I ride my bicycle, I have dinner with friends.

 

Q: What’s the view outside your window?

A: The main entrance of Lakeville, the park of Xintiandi, the tall towers of Pudong.

 

Q: How do you scent your home?

A: With the flowers my wife buys every week.

 

Q: What’s your favorite object at home?

A: The Coroneli map of “Xanxi and Xensi” (Shaanxi and Shanxi) dated 1698.

 

Q: Where do you source furniture in Shanghai?

A: Most of my furniture was custom made by Tucho Co or bought at Chai Living Gallery. I bought most of the art at Art+ Gallery or Hong Merchants (now closed).




 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend