Jian Zhang's Kangding Garden Space Design presents a masterful exercise in contemporary interior architecture where the eye immediately encounters the commanding presence of a monumental tiered chande

Warm bronze metalwork curves in elegant spiral tiers above, suspending luminous cylindrical pendants—each wrapped in textured translucent material glowing amber against oxidized bronze arms—while the

Warm wood paneling extending vertically along the left wall establishes an immediate organic materiality that contrasts with the refined geometric precision of the ceiling plane, where a custom lighti

Polished white marble distinguished by dramatic gray veining establishes the commanding architectural threshold of this interior passage, where a semicircular archway crowned in stone frames a precise

A monumental chandelier installation commands the volumetric ceiling plane of this grand entrance vestibule, its geometric armature establishing a precise rectangular grid that extends the architectur

Silver Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2026

Kangding Garden Space Design

by Jian Zhang

A' Design Award 2026 Silver Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Awarded April 15, 2026
Estimated Number of Design Views: 17,284
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About Kangding Garden Space Design

Kangding Garden is a residential interior design project in Shanghai that includes a club and show flats. The club occupies 1,800 square metres on the first basement level and serves more than 300 residents. An entire wall of Italian Calacatta marble is framed by a tall arch at the entrance. A marble frame surrounds a view of a Chinese tallow tree in the sunken courtyard. Three-metre-high timber doors lead to a tea lounge and a private dining suite. Beige stone, dark timber and a recurring curved motif recall the character of old Shanghai.

Drawing upon traditions of grand civic and hospitality architecture while engaging contemporary design discourse, Kangding Garden Space Design by Jian Zhang exemplifies the sophisticated synthesis of classical spatial principles with modernist material sensibilities that characterizes the most accomplished interior environments of our present moment, the work demonstrates remarkable command of volumetric proportion, orchestrating a double-height reception space that achieves monumental presence without sacrificing human intimacy through the careful calibration of furnishing scale and lighting warmth, the designer appears to have studied the processional sequences of historic palace architecture, translating their ceremonial gravitas into a contemporary commercial context through the strategic deployment of the arched threshold that simultaneously frames and invites, the technical achievement evident in the custom chandelier installation merits particular attention, as each crystalline element has been positioned to maximize both individual luminous presence and collective geometric coherence, creating a lighting sculpture that functions as the spiritual center of the spatial experience, the material palette reveals sophisticated understanding of haptic and optical texture, juxtaposing the cool precision of polished marble against the warm organic presence of wood paneling glimpsed through the archway, while the reflective floor surface ingeniously doubles the spatial volume through mirror-image illusion, the chromatic restraint of the predominantly neutral scheme demonstrates confidence in allowing material quality and spatial proportion to carry aesthetic weight, with the strategic vermillion accent of fresh flowers providing essential vitality that prevents austerity from becoming coldness, viewers may find themselves contemplating how such spaces shape our experience of arrival and welcome, and what qualities of light and material communicate institutional gravitas while maintaining human warmth

Press Kit

Unique Properties: The project is not simply residential innovation, but a contemporary renaissance of retro aesthetics by transforming living spaces into three-dimensional indexes of cultural memory and redefining elegance for a new era. Led by DIA's Shanghai and Shenzhen design directors, Jian Zhang shaped the club and public spaces, while Feng Xue designed the show flats. Their work decodes Jing’an’s historic DNA through spatial storytelling, material dialogue, and color philosophy.
Dimensions & Packaging: Through three-metre-high timber doors lie a tea lounge and private dining suite available by reservation. These spaces are at once functional and emblematic of status. Here, the Shanghainese concept of fastidious refinement reaches its purest form: restrained luxury, quiet boldness, perfection distilled into the smallest detail.
Tags: interior design, show flat, residence, club, DIA
Production Technology: Descending to the 1,800-square-metre club on B1, guests encounter an entire wall of Italian Calacatta marble, framed by a soaring arch, which is solemn yet opulent. Beyond it, a marble picture frame captures the rare Chinese tallow tree in the sunken courtyard, turning nature into a living oil painting. It is an ever-changing focal point and the project’s most memorable anchor.
Design Challenge: Ceiling and floor are clad in a bold pairing of black and dark gray. The interwoven grids patterns strike a dramatic contrast with the pale walls and soft furnishings. This chiaroscuro evokes the syncopated rhythms of the Paramount Ballroom, as if stepping into the monochrome frames of a vintage Shanghai film.
Project Duration: On Shanghai’s luxury real estate map of 2025, Kangding Garden emerges as a defining landmark. Positioned at the crossroads of Wuning Road South and Kangding Road, this heritage-inspired development sits less than one kilometer from Jing’an Temple, making it immersed in the global glamour of Nanjing West Road, yet embraced by the quiet poetry of century-old plane trees.
Operation Flow: The club entrance flows into the Writer’s Study, forming an extended ground-floor lounge. Two nearly five-meter-high square volumes are wrapped in beige stone and dark timber. A stone arch portal instantly evokes the memory of old Shanghai, yet its curves and junctions have been subtly deconstructed and reassembled through a modernist lens. This signature curve recurs in the reception desk and even the lamps, unifying the design language throughout.
Research: Kangding Garden’s living philosophy finds its fullest expression in the daily rituals of its show flats. Unlike a merely personal notion of being particular, it is a meticulous, research-driven process rooted in empathy, highlighting precision that translates into palpable quality and quiet confidence.
Inspiration: The essence of Jing'an District, Shanghai lies in its meticulous attention to detail. Named after the millennium-old temple, the district has long cultivated a philosophy of refinement. The club at Kangding Garden extends this tradition in this spiritual lounge for over 300 residents. Inspired by the Paramount Ballroom, the club resembles a series of cinematic stage sets, each space laced with metaphors for those who notice.