Inspired By A “Collector’s Home” The PuLi Shanghai Reimagines Its Guestrooms

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July 7, 2026

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The PuLi Shanghai is pleased to unveil a selection of thoughtfully reimagined guestrooms led by inspiration drawn from a “Collector’s Home”. Created once again by the original design team from Layan Design Studio, the renewed spaces continue to reflect the hotel’s deep-rooted Eastern sensibility and are further enriched with contemporary Western design language. This evolution preserves the spirit and identity of The PuLi Shanghai while offering a renewed expression of the guest experience.

Rather than a departure from its established design language, the transformation represents a careful refinement of what already exists. Grounded in the enduring philosophy of The PuLi Shanghai, the guestrooms are reinterpreted through the concept of a “Collector’s Home”, where art, objects, and craftsmanship are seamlessly woven into the rhythms of daily living. Each stay becomes an encounter with time, aesthetic sensibility, and quiet inner stillness.

A Collector’s Home: Where Time and Craftsmanship Reside

Within the reimagined guestrooms, the atmosphere evokes the intimate setting of a discerning collector’s private residence. Artworks, objects, and books are placed organically throughout the living space – never staged, never intrusive – yet quietly present in everyday moments, forming a lived-in gallery of culture and calm.

Original tables and chairs have been replaced by low-slung sofas and coffee tables, softening the spatial rhythm and encouraging a more relaxed way of inhabiting the room. Newly designed blinds with wider louvres allow natural light to shift freely throughout the day, casting a gentle, diffused glow that enhances the sense of openness and tranquillity. The in-room control system has also been upgraded, replacing traditional interfaces with an intuitive electronic dial, allowing guests to adjust lighting and temperature with ease. Floral arrangements, curated objects, and selected literary volumes are subtly interspersed throughout, shaping a quietly secluded urban retreat.

Continuity and Renewal: The PuLi’s Craftsmanship Ethos

Throughout the transformation, the signature design elements have been carefully preserved, ensuring the hotel’s cultural memory remains intact. The hand-carved wooden foo dogs and dragon-scaled screens continue to stand within the guestrooms. Carved from camphor wood, the foo dogs are imbued with a natural woody fragrance and finely articulated textures, forming one of the most recognisable symbols of The PuLi. With their calm presence and quietly expressive form, they remain silent guardians of each guest’s journey. The newly updated minibar backdrop continues the dragon-scale motif, echoing the wooden screen and expressing a restrained, understated East Asian aesthetic through subtle detailing.

A lacquered tea box, finished through traditional urushi techniques, reveals a layered surface of soft, luminous depth achieved through repeated polishing and drying. Within it, handcrafted tea ware designed by Leziyan is fired using kiln-wood techniques, where natural ash settles onto the surface to create a refined matte texture. Imperfect in form yet rich in character, each piece preserves the warmth of the maker’s hand. Together, the ceramics and lacquer embody The PuLi’s appreciation of craftsmanship—humble, composed, and quietly refined.

The decorative copper mirror within the bedroom is equally shaped by time. Forged through multiple stages of high-temperature refinement and hand-finishing, the copper surface gradually develops a warm, understated patina through natural oxidation. It captures the passage of time, holding within it a quiet resonance between nature and memory.

Each object within the hotel is far more than decorative. Behind every piece lies meticulous craftsmanship and a disciplined dedication to process. Understated and restrained, they embody a quiet sense of richness, composure, and warmth.

Art as a Form of Dwelling

As an integral part of the “Collector’s Home” experience, the artworks within the guestrooms further extend the spatial narrative.

Commissioned works by two distinguished Asian artists – Zheng Zaidong and Tay Bak Chiang – respond to the theme “In Praise of Stone”, offering a contemporary interpretation of the ancient Chinese tradition of scholar’s rock appreciation. Singaporean artist Tay Bak Chiang blends Eastern sensibility with modern minimalism. His works translate the essence of stone into abstract visual poetry through contemporary ink expression, resonating closely with The PuLi Shanghai’s philosophy of authenticity, timelessness, and serene beauty. Zheng Zaidong, one of the leading figures in contemporary Chinese literati painting, merges Eastern poetic sensibility with Western expressive techniques. His works unfold as contemplative visual narratives, forming spaces of quiet reflection that explore the interconnection between nature, time, and human existence.

Together, these artworks, alongside collectable objects, curated books, and the surrounding cityscape, shape a distinctive sense of place within The PuLi Shanghai. Each guestroom becomes a private collection—not only of art and objects, but also of traces of time and lived experience. From hand-carved wooden foo dogs to original artworks, from artisanal tea ware to carefully selected books, every detail reflects The PuLi’s understanding of time, aesthetics, and living. Here, guests are invited to slow down, to dwell between art and light, and to rediscover a more composed and enduring way of being.

About The PuLi Shanghai

The PuLi Shanghai, is widely credited as Asia’s first urban resort. Opened in 2009 beside Jing‘an Park, the property pioneered a form of luxury defined by restraint, craft, and calm. It is part of The PuLi Group, a family-owned hospitality brand guided by a single principle: Excellence through Simplicity. The group’s portfolio also comprises The PuXuan Hotel and Spa in Beijing and The RuMa Hotel and Residences in Kuala Lumpur, managed under Urban Resort Concepts. The PuLi Group is guided by the philosophy of ‘uncarved jade’ — precious because of what it is, not because of how it has been decorated.