Shanghai‘s former foreign concessions bear testament to the influence that Western powers once had in China following its defeat in the First Opium War (1839-1842). But the city of Shanghai was no exception as there were quite a foreign concessions popped up in a handful of coastal cities, including Tianjin. Mind you, not only the usual colonial powers of the era were present – read: United Kingdom and France – but also unlikely nations such as Belgium, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. Fast forward to 2024, and it’s in the city’s former Italian concession where a well-known ice cream parlour chain has opened the doors of its newest branch. Housed in a historic Italian structure, the Bitter Sweetie store sees an interior design by All Design Studio, an interior design practice based in Shanghai. Measuring 93 sqm. (1,001 sq.ft.), the chosen aesthetic pays homage to the building’s history and sees artistic touches inspired by desserts and paintings which seamlessly blend in with the existing architecture.
On the one hand subtle, but also striking, Bitter Sweetie‘s colour palette is, quite unsurprisingly, inspired by desserts, featuring hues such as pistacchio, soft yellow and a creamy white. Oozing a welcoming living room vibe, the modern design elements seamlessly blend with classic historical features. The eye for detail is evident—decorative lines, inspired by the Florentine fresco technique, are hand-painted on the wainscoting, and the tablecloth is adorned with patterns of sketches and poetry lines. A large-sized wooden cabinet with fitted mirrors is placed in the centre of Bitter Sweetie, further boosting the living room vibe. Overhead, a coffered ceiling in soft yellow cleverly conceal the air conditioning units while adding even more depth to the setting. A half-open doorway leads to a more private living space with a vaulted ceiling from which a multitude of candy sculptures dangle, adding a playful element to the setting. Bitter Sweetie‘s menu lists a wide range of ice creams, pastries, coffee concoctions and other beverages. © superfuture
Bitter Sweetie
Guangmin Dao 10
300010 Tianjin
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
