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An urban flat conceals a modern chic interior
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LOCATED in a residential building on a downtown street, the 196-square-meter apartment Philippe Nipshagen calls home conceals a modern chic interior.
Nipshagen is the general manager of Casa Pagoda, one of the first cool furniture boutiques in Shanghai offering an eclectic mixture of modern furniture and home accessories of different styles.
He came to Shanghai 12 years ago for his internship and returned later to join the family business of Casa Pagoda that his sister Leontien and her partner Capone had founded.
His apartment clearly shows the essence of what Casa Pagoda offers: tasteful, homey and stylish.
It’s a place with elegance in mind, but also a place where Nipshagen can come home and smell the scent of a fresh candle burning as well as a roast cooking in the oven.
What he likes the most of the apartment are the open kitchen, large windows allowing lots of natural light in and the beautiful hardwood floor.
He was instantly sold the first time he saw the space. “I saw it on a Thursday, and moved in the following Monday,” he said.
“My criteria of an ideal home in the city is minimal two bedrooms for when family/friends come to visit, a high kitchen counter and preferably a patio or outdoor area,” Nipshagen said.
“The flat had been completely renovated by the lovely Taiwanese landlord, as she had planned to live here herself with her family.
She used durable and nice materials. Floor heating and a water filter in the utility closet filtering all water coming into the apartment are just some of the excellent examples. “I actually only got ‘creative’ with the living room layout,” he added.
Nipshagen said he is a great fan of dark interiors with appropriate lighting.
“This is not reflected in my current apartment though, as on the other hand a bright and light apartment creates an airy atmosphere,” he said.
“I like eclectic living (Casa Pagoda’s motto) but I do not necessarily want my home to look like the business although it does work like a bit of a calling card.”
The color scheme is mostly based around white, grey and black. Belgian hardwood floors with weathered finish and the white walls set the overall tones.
Black and white were the main source of inspiration for the bedroom and the living room, with a few accent details to pop out and splurge some color highlights here and there.
The generous space is filled with simple, clean-lined furniture with big sitting and dining areas. From the selection of materials and colors to the stylish yet simple furnishing displays, the apartment boasts a tasteful and warm design with a lot of attention to details. Almost all the furniture is sourced from Casa Pagoda.
As he grew up in the furniture business and worked on the manufacturing side, in wholesale and now the retail end of the industry, Nipshagen has plenty of access and contacts he can use for personal purchases as well.
The open kitchen is one of his favorite features yet he tends to use as much as possible the patio.
“I love having breakfast outside on the patio in spring and autumn and just leaving the windows open and letting the wind blow through, and in the winter I just love the floor heating,” he said.
The soothing interior is a canvas for some decorative items. “We work with a series of very skilled painters for Casa Pagoda who create artworks and paintings in the stores.
The particular painting hung in my living area is one of my favorites. With the style and emotion captured, I found it suitable as the main piece there,” Nipshagen said.
Q: What’s the best thing about living in Shanghai?
A: I love my home, but also the fast pace of life and the wide variety of people. Also, any kind of food one might dream of is readily available to enjoy at one of the thousands of restaurants, or simply to order in at home.
Q: Describe your home in three words.
A: Light. Warm. Cozy.
Q: What’s the first thing you do when you get home?
A: Usually have a drink, and relax a little before cooking.
Q: How do you unwind?
A: I find cooking very enjoyable. Having some friends over and serving a nice meal is something I love to do.
Q: Where do you spend most of your time at home?
A: As the living room and dining room are open and connected to the kitchen, I would say this is the main area I use most.
Q: What’s the view outside your window?
A: The view from the bigger balcony overlooks a part of the trendy areas that going over to Xujiahui, luckily there is a lot of green as I’m just above the tree line and on the front you can see Jing’an District and even parts of the skyscrapers on the Bund.
Q: What’s your favorite object in your home?
A: That’s a tough question. I cannot say that I have one single favorite.
Q: Where do you source furniture?
A: Casa Pagoda on No.17 Taikang Road
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