W Hotel Shanghai tapped us to create interior mural installations and artwork for its restaurant The Kitchen Table. Our task was to translate the essence of one of the world’s cultural capitals into a destination that is both hyper-local and yet distinctively “W.”

The W Shanghai hotel narrative theme, “Captivating Contrasts,” was influenced by the uniquely Shanghainese culture of haipai, which embraces both traditional Chinese culture and Western culture. Layering vibrant interpretations of historical, physical, and social context into the fabric of the hotel’s experience enables The W to at once draw upon and give back to the city.

Within this context, we created a multi-wall “narrative” mural installed on handmade tiles titled Hongkou Tales. Storytelling within the three-part illustrative collage celebrates the culture, history, and legends of the past 110 years of Hongkou District, where the hotel is located. The artwork also works to interpret the collision between the East and Western culture, creating a passionate journey through time and space.

Further, we created visual touch points throughout the restaurant that linked to key elements and characters from the murals, via cocktail shakers, traditional Chinese thermos, table placemats, etc.

We collaborated with renowned Shanghainese artist Coozie to bring alive the final illustrative treatment.