Oxalis Restaurant in Shanghai by So Studio

Designed by Sò Studio, Oxalis is a French restaurant located on the 4th level of a 60-storey office tower on Shanghai’s Bohua Square. With interiors inspired by French farmyards and the chef’s food philosophy that marries pubs with gastronomy, the restaurant’s overall aesthetic is rooted in seasons and nature.

Sò Studio use a modern design language to translate the French farmyard concept into the commercial space – the bright spatial tone, rattan, timber and white marble create a relaxing dining atmosphere.

“Growing means going beyond the original,” says the design team. “In the bar, dining area, and private room, we use the extension of the material as the growth image, extending the same material from the ground to the wall, from the wall to the top, from the inner space to the outer space. They are both conspicuous and harmonized.”

From Reception to the private dining room, the ubiquitous curved and rattan elements set a relaxed tone. The arc at the top is inspired by the curved roofs of greenhouses, giving soft protection to ‘growth’ within.

The dark colour of the entrance bar area acts as a contrast to the bright tone in the dining area. “We designed a darker environment for drinking and talking in the bar,” explains Sò Studio. The black bar is over 4 meters long and the green hand-made bricks on the wall are matched with marble countertops and ceramic murals behind the shelves.

Sò Studio worked with young illustrator Wang Zhe who created murals for Oxalis’s 12-meter-long wall around the theme of “Reiki Plants and Animals”. Her style is lively and vivid, full of imagination, perfectly complementing the new French style of Oxalis.