The store, designed by AMDL CIRCLE, is conceived as a dynamic space that encourages interaction and creativity. To mark the opening, Poltrona Frau is presenting a special limited edition of the Ming’s Heart chair, symbolizing and celebrating the cultural fusion of the East and the West.
Poltrona Frau inaugurates its new flagship store in the central Jing’An District of Shanghai. It is the brand’s largest display venue to date, spanning three floors and covering an area of 2,000 square meters within the East Hengtong Road shopping mall. The space is designed by AMDL CIRCLE, the multidisciplinary creative studio founded by Michele De Lucchi. The opening of the flagship store in Shanghai marks the beginning of a new chapter in the collaboration between Poltrona Frau and AMDL CIRCLE, which has already seen the development of the brand’s architectural identity in various contexts, from the Tolentino corporate museum to the design of exhibition spaces at international fairs.
AMDL CIRCLE’s design introduces distinctive elements that redefine the outer appearance of Poltrona Frau’s store and emphasize its recognizability. These elements include gray green horizontal bands that demarcate the store windows and create a visual connection between floors. Other distinctive details include steel box structures for the logo and carefully designed night lighting.
The stylistic and identity concept of the interiors challenges the traditional image of the flagship store as a static exhibition space in favor of a dynamic and interactive approach. Diverse design inspirations from the hotel industry, fashion retail, and industrial spaces contribute to the creation of fluid and flexible environments that encourage interactions and serve as sources of inspiration.
“The world is evolving, and we must envision the shape of this new world. Conceptions of home, taste, and the mindset that informs our interior design choices are shifting. Consequently, we can no longer view a store solely as a place of commerce but rather as a space for perceiving transformation and catalyzing change. The store should evolve into a gathering hub, where individuals are encouraged to engage in dialogue-a place of identity and comfort that inspires proactive involvement within an environment that complements one’s lifestyle.” – Michele De Lucchi, Architect and founder of AMDL CIRCLE
The store is spread across three levels, visually connected by a large opening (also visible from the outside) that highlights the store’s vast dimension and allows an optimal flow of natural light from the basement to the first level. Recurring structural elements are alternated in the space, creating a variety of neutral and flexible settings: metal suspended ceilings and transit components are combined with steel display walls and floor inserts, while wood is used extensively on the floors and for some of the ceilings, in a direct reference to the traditional Italian Lacunari.
The interior architecture interacts harmoniously with the furniture pieces, highlighting their aesthetic and textural features through careful color combinations and spatial arrangements. All the collections are widely displayed in the store, with particular emphasis on the 2023 Pleasures Collection, which, together with the brand’s most iconic pieces, creates domestic scenarios with an extraordinarily intimate and welcoming atmosphere.
The ground floor, accessible from the street or the parking lot, is dedicated to visitors’ reception and staff meetings. It features a large modular metal wall with removable shelves, designed to display the brand’s complements and accessories. Among them, the brand new Beautilities lines, unveiled to the Chinese public here for the first time, welcome customers as they showcase the Pet, Games and Fitness collections.
The second floor is the main area of the store, a hybrid environment that combines exhibition, creative and commercial functions. Located at the heart of the floor, the materials library is designed to evoke a haute couture atelier. This area provides an environment to work and to be inspired, where material samples are arranged in black metal bookcases and can be freely viewed, picked up and combined. Industrial windows framed in black aluminum define this area, creating a floating transition between the inside and the outside, a feature that is characteristic of AMDL CIRCLE’s projects and aims to create interconnected environments.
In the basement level, a series of consecutive semi-circular spaces host offices, meeting rooms, and exhibition areas dedicated to the Custom Interiors Business Unit, outdoor collections, and the Ceccotti Collezioni brand – the latter designed and set up by Ceccotti Collezioni Retail Image Team.
“As we inaugurate our new flagship store in the vibrant heart of Shanghai, we are thrilled to mark the beginning of a new era in our collaboration with AMDL CIRCLE. This exceptional space, designed with innovation and dynamism in mind, not only redefines the concept of a store but also encapsulates our commitment to offering a truly immersive and inspiring experience for our customers. We believe this store will become a hub of creativity, a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence, and a powerful symbol of the seamless fusion of design and culture.” – Nicola Coropolius, CEO of Poltrona Frau
The exclusive limited edition of Ming’s Heart armchairs
To celebrate the opening of the Shanghai flagship store, Poltrona Frau presents an exclusive limited edition of Ming’s Heart armchairs, designed by Shi-Chieh Lu. The collection is made of only 88 pieces, each featuring a vibrant Saddle Extra red leather upholstery. The choice to produce exactly 88 units aligns with the well-known Chinese cultural significance of this number, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity. Moreover, the bold red hue of the chairs further accentuates the cultural depth of this collection, emphasizing its festive and celebratory spirit.
Poltrona Frau Shanghai
No. 9-10, Lane 65, East Hengtong Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai
Poltrona Frau
Poltrona Frau has been a leader in the world of Made in Italy furnishings since 1912. As a brand, it values artistic aptitude and meticulous construction, using only the highest-quality raw materials, like Pelle Frau® leather, making it the ideal go-to for high-end furniture for the home and office. The search for style has led Poltrona Frau to create classic pieces that express a universal, intimate and personal elegance: from Chester and Vanity Fair, designed by company founder Renzo Frau, to Dezza by Gio Ponti and Titano, a project by Pierluigi Cerri that awarded the brand its first Compasso d’Oro Prize. The brand’s more recent successes include designs by Jean-Marie Massaud, Ludovica + Roberto Palomba, Roberto Lazzeroni, GamFratesi and Neri&Hu.
Poltrona Frau also fosters an exquisite blend of tradition and innovation through two additional business units. Interiors in Motion is the company division specialized in exclusive interiors for luxury cars, yachts, rail and air transport. The division proudly collaborates with some of the most renowned luxury brands, including Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren in the automotive sector, and Ferretti Yachts, Pershing and Riva in the seafaring sector.
The Custom Interiors division focuses on purpose-designed seating furniture for auditoriums, theatres, airports, public spaces, hotels, offices and retail spaces, working closely with the most talented figures in the fields of architecture and international design. Renzo Piano, Foster + Partners, Frank O.Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid Studio and David Chipperfield have conceived some of the most iconic design projects for this division.
The beating heart of operations is the facility in Tolentino, a production site deeply rooted in the local area. The Tolentino site is always at the forefront of certification related to environmental sustainability and employee health and safety.
AMDL CIRCLE
AMDL CIRCLE is a multidisciplinary studio founded by Michele De Lucchi. Internationally renowned for its humanistic approach, the studio operates across various sectors, providing its clients with projects that encompass the fields of architecture, interior design, design, and communication. AMDL CIRCLE has worked on both public and private projects, collaborating with major corporations such as Intesa Sanpaolo, Deutsche Bank, Novartis, and UniCredit. The studio has also designed buildings and exhibition systems for institutions like the Neues Museum in Berlin, the Triennale in Milan, and the Gallerie d’Italia in Milan, Turin, and Naples. In addition, the Milan-based studio has developed furniture and lighting products for companies including Alessi, Artemide, Cassina, Hermès, Poltrona Frau, and UniFor.