Beijing may be its capital city, but China‘s undisputed hub of all things lifestyle is Shanghai. A post-pandemic buzz has spawned a slew of alluring new establishments that specifically cater to savvy city dwellers, and Lieben definitely is one of them. Concepted as a speakeasy, it’s fittingly tucked away on the second floor of a building alongside Julu Lu, a busy thoroughfare lined with shops, bars and restaurants in the city’s Jing’an neighbourhood. The bar’s name is inspired by Was ich liebe, a song released only two years ago by cult German metal band Rammstein, and as Lieben means ‘to love’ in plain English, the interior design by local architecture practice All Design Studio aims to deliver visitors an intimate and emotional experience. Interestingly, the design team decided that the shape of a door captures the chosen team best, and as such, it’s an abundantly recurring element throughout the venue.
A narrow open-air corridor leading to the bar entrance already evokes just that, but when passing through the obscured hall and entering the actual bar through a second corridor with a recessed ledge and suspended keys, it turns into a full-on experience. Fusing minimalism with industrial elements, the well-stocked bar, very much the focal point of the setting, is framed by a canopy of large wooden beams while the counter is covered in a mosaic of spliced concrete doors. The elongated booth right of Lieben‘s entrance pairs black leather and wood, and is set against a backdrop of concrete ‘faux door’ panels. An open ridge alongside the entire length of the wall allows a backlit effect and are backed up by decorative wall light fixtures. Large mirrors, paced on either side of the booth, optically enlarge the setting. Additional seating comprises ottomans and chairs, while directly across from the bar, a wall bench can be found against a backdrop of spliced concrete doors.
Lieben
758 Julu Lu, Second Floor (Jing’an)
200o40 Shanghai
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.
