Lala Curio founder Laura Cheung weaves a melange of fanciful touches into the new R.Manda cafe
品牌Lala Curio創辦人Laura Cheung為R.Manda咖啡室注入細膩獨到的美學
Glance around at the kaleidoscopic wallpapers, artisanal tableware and lush upholstery that fill the interiors of R.Manda and you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’ve fallen through Alice’s rabbit hole into her fantastical tea party. Indeed, beautiful interiors have the ability to transport guests – and this newly minted cafe-meets-retail-meets-showroom concept, perched within the Shanghai Centre’s glass-framed atrium on one of the city’s buzziest streets, seems to pluck customers out of its austere locale into a poetic playground of colours and textures.
Behind this “magical wonderland” (as she calls it) is Laura Cheung, the visionary founder of home decor brand Lala Curio, which carefully crafted each piece of furniture throughout the concept. “This was our first project with our joint venture partner, the luxury fashion Riqing Group,” says Laura. “Our aim was to create an experiential showroom to display the crafts and interiors of our brand.”
Creating eye-catching, extraordinary environments with unique flair is nothing new for Laura, who has designed numerous homes as well as commercial interiors for the likes of Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo. Lala Curio was founded in 2014 and has since amassed throngs of fans for its instantly identifiable, Instagram-worthy aesthetic. Ebullient and playful designs pave the way for a marked celebration of ancient artisanship, as seen in the brand’s iconic hand-painted and embroidered wallpapers, decorative tiles made with the imperial craft of cloisonné, bespoke decorative objects and chinoiserie furnishings – many of which adorn this multi-purpose glasshouse.
As with many of Laura’s other creations, she looked to nature’s abundant flora and fauna for inspiration when conceiving this urban forest. “Our design concept features majestic cranes in their forest of ferns,” describes Laura of the long-necked birds spotted throughout the space, most notably on the green-and-gold hand-painted wallpapers that flank a towering gilded bar cabinet in the centre of the cafe. It’s concealed by sliding cabinet doors (Laura’s favourite element in the space) that are decked in swirls of light blush, baby pinks, light greys and golds that resemble patterns of malachite. “I love our cloisonné panels at the bar,” she says. “It creates an unexpected ‘wow’ moment while celebrating and supporting the lost craft of cloisonné, a craft so dear to me and my grandparents’ generation. Our intention is to reinvent it and make it fashionable again.”
驟眼看R.Manda的室內設計：萬花筒般的牆紙、手製的餐具和奢華的傢具裝飾，難免令人錯覺墮入了《愛麗斯夢遊仙境》的兔窟，誤闖了下午茶派對。
精妙的室內設計固然有能力轉換時空，而這家坐落於上海市中心繁忙街道上的新咖啡店，既是零售店，同時也是展示廳，似乎就能把顧客抽離於日常生活，投進一個色彩和質感的詩意遊樂場。
設計這「魔法仙境」的正是室內設計師Laura Cheung。她是室內設計品牌Lala Curio的創辦人，構思中每一件傢具也是由她精心設計或製作的。「這是我們第一次跟高級時裝集團中國日清企業合資的項目。」Laura表示：「目標是為了創造一個實驗性的展示廳，擺放品牌旗下的工藝和設計。」
以其獨特的洞察力創造搶眼奇妙的環境，對Laura來說已不是什麼新鮮事，過去她曾為Christian Louboutin和Jimmy Choo等星級客人設計住宅和店鋪。Lala Curio於2014年成立，幾年下來以其獨樹一幟的設計美學，成功吸引了不少追隨者。她那熱情洋溢的玩味設計，同時帶有傳統手藝的印記，就如品牌招牌的手繪或刺繡牆紙、景泰藍裝飾瓷磚、訂製飾品和中國風傢具，在這家多用途玻璃室的每個角落大放魅力，處處也是上鏡非常的打卡熱點。
Elsewhere, elements such as antique Eastern fabrics, silk foliage-patterned walls and glistening paillettes hand-embroidered by artisans create a jovial juxtaposition of colours, textures and whimsicalities. Cloud chandeliers assembled with handmade porcelain flower petals line the windows along the glass façade, while herringbone flooring is crafted with colourful tiles made using the traditional pietre dure inlay technique.
To fully experience the charms of R.Manda, afternoon tea is mandatory – even if only for the stunning porcelain tea ware on which it is served. “Incorporating our wallpaper narrative onto porcelain is something we’ve always wanted to explore and Asianera made it happen,” says Laura, who collaborated with the Shanghai-based bone china brand on the pieces. The gold-glazed, threetier set are interwoven with artwork throughout. Meanwhile, teapots and teacups are hand-painted with illustrations of a pair of cranes beak to beak, enjoying their own tea and macarons. “We love including macarons in our designs, inspired by my sister’s patisserie, Jouer,” adds Laura. “We love the result. It’s all very playful and creates a talking point for the tea sets.” //
一如Laura眾多設計，構思這個城市森林時，她從大自然豐富的花草植物中擷取了不少靈感。「我們的設計主題是蕨林中的鶴群。」Laura形容這隻店中到處也能看到的長頸鳥。但最搶眼的，莫過於店中心鍍金巨型酒吧櫃兩側，金綠色手繪牆紙上的那幾隻。Laura最喜歡的空間元素正是那道塗上淺紅、寶貝粉紅、淺灰和金色的趟門，紋路就如艷麗的孔雀石。「我也喜歡酒吧的景泰藍牆板。」Laura續道：「第一眼有令人讚嘆的意外驚喜，同時又能支持逐漸失傳的景泰藍工藝，這門手藝對於我和祖父母那一輩來說，也是十分珍貴的。我們的目標是重新發現這門傳統工藝，再次讓它流行。」
此外，如古董東方布料、絲綢葉紋牆布，以及由工匠手縫珠片刺繡，把多樣的顏色、質感和奇異感覺並置，討人歡喜；還有白雲般的吊燈，跟圍著窗緣的手造白瓷花瓣；和以意大利傳統彩色硬石鑲嵌工藝製作的多彩人字紋地板。
要完全體驗R.Manda的魅力，嘆個下午茶是必須的，單是欣賞他們奉茶的漂亮瓷器已值回票價。「把牆紙的故事延伸至瓷器上，是我們一直想要探索的事情，而Asianera把它成真了。」Laura表示Asianera是他們合作的一家上海骨瓷品牌。插圖貫穿於金釉茶杯三件套中，所有茶壺、茶杯也手繪了一對鶴情侶，背對背享用著熱茶和馬卡龍。「我喜歡把馬卡龍放到設計中，靈感來自我妹妹的餅店Jouer。」Laura補充：「結果我們都很滿意，一切都那麼玩味，更為下午茶提供了更多話題。」//