Capella Shanghai

Winner of the 2024 Tatler Best of Asia "Best Design" award

In Shanghai’s tree-lined French Concession, in a historic enclave originally built in the 1930s, Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li reinvigorates one of the city’s most storied and beloved eras. The property—the only all-villa hotel in Shanghai—houses 55 villas fashioned from restored shikumen, a style of terrace houses that were characterised by laneways of narrow, low-rise buildings. Once, as much as 60 per cent of Shanghai’s housing stock was built in this style, but its legacy is disappearing as skyscrapers increasingly dominate the skyline. Shikumen are a nostalgic reminder of simpler times, and guests of Capella Shanghai have the unique opportunity to experience this communal style of living that was typical of a bygone Shanghai. 

The interiors by Jaya Interior Design Business, now part of Bangkok-based Blink Design Group, combine classic technique with local elements. Each of Capella Shanghai’s one-, two- and three-bedroom villas is fashioned from one of the original lane houses, with typical design elements like stone entrances, tall ceilings, traditional redwood-framed windows and inviting courtyards. The villas range from 1,200 to 2,700 sq ft and feature French-accented furniture with a flourish of chinoiserie—elegant details like silk wallpaper and impressionist artwork, wrought iron and button-upholstered headboards.

A mezzanine floor in each villa houses an intimate tea room or TV room, complete with a Chinese-style kang sofa-bed hybrid to lounge on. Every bathroom features a bathtub positioned by an original iron-framed window, many of which look out onto the lanes of Capella Shanghai—with its red brick façades covered in flowering vines.

Its restaurant, Le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire, serves contemporary French cuisine in a subtle but no less stunning space. Here, it’s all in the details: double-height wooden ceilings with exposed beams and multipaned windows open onto the main courtyard; screens divide the lounge spaces, some with traditional Chinese motifs, others fashioned from mesh from France; materials from Burmese teak to geometric patterned tiling similar to that of a French château add layer upon layer of texture; banquettes line the dining room, where you’ll find stately rosewood tables and chairs upholstered in ivory linen. We recommend finishing the evening at the large oval bar, crafted from onyx.

Tatler Tip

On a crisp, sunny day in Shanghai, visit La Terrace—the hotel’s  courtyard bar inspired by the secret gardens of Provence, France. There’s a strong focus on champagne, along with whiskies and digestifs that make for the perfect nightcap.