Before designing Tong An Clubhouse, we observed. Paying visit to world’s finest private clubs, in particular Soho House Paris and Estelle Manor on the English countryside. Tong An is bred from a single canon, grandeur with nothing to prove, if the design had a mantra. Appraising these leading facilities confirmed our belief; premier equipment and luxury services are vital, but how clients’ feel inside Clubhouse and regard their membership.

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History and modernity rarely blend in world-class spaces they transfigure, Tong An has an interior of eras. Notes from antiquity and slices of retro form in contemporary time. Creativity of Western origin and styles belonging to another time circulate, while Shanghai remains at heart-center.

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Suitably nude and moving with glee, bas-reliefs by sculptor Rene Chambellan illustrate the Club’s "urban micro-vacation” directive. Pastiche melts minutes and hours; members momentarily exit the day.