FOG Architecture has designed the interiors of a 500-square-metre villa in Shanghai with a clear focus on how people actually share a home—especially when it’s not just one generation.
Called Xijiao Residence, this project is a three-storey house in the western suburbs of the city, and what stands out isn’t a single feature. It’s how the whole thing has been softened. Not visually, necessarily, but in how you move through it.
The layout does a lot of the heavy lifting. Each floor can function independently, which is important when you have different routines under one roof. But they’re not cut off from each other either. The connections feel loose, almost casual.
There’s a lot of use of curves. You notice it in the transitions more than anything else. Corners don’t stop you. You just keep going.
It sounds minor, but it changes the pace of the house.
The material palette is quite restrained. Textured walls, terrazzo, wood-grain concrete, a bit of metal, natural fabrics. Nothing unusual on paper, but the way they’re combined feels deliberate without trying too hard.
And everything sits within that sandy, warm tone. It holds the space together. Also means the textures do more of the work.
You find yourself noticing surfaces in a practical way—where you’d sit, lean, rest your hand. That kind of thing.
Light is handled simply. Large windows on the ground floor bring in the garden, so the living area becomes the obvious place for people to gather. It’s open, but not exposed.
It feels usable. That’s the key.
The basement shifts the mood. Lower light, more enclosed, textured finishes, wood cabinetry. It’s quieter. Probably where you’d go when you don’t want to be part of everything for a while.
Upstairs, it opens up again. The first floor and attic are kept quite free of fixed elements. The idea is that the younger generation can adapt it over time.
Which makes sense. Most homes don’t allow for that.
The attic is probably the most interesting part, though it’s quite simple. Skylights bring in light that changes during the day, so the space never feels static. Windows have been adjusted to keep a bit of privacy without losing that light.
Nothing feels overworked.
Even the staircase has been softened—edges rounded, turns eased. You don’t really register it as a feature. It just works.
And that’s consistent throughout the house. There’s no moment where the design asks for attention. It’s more about supporting what’s already happening—people moving around, spending time together, or not.
FOG Architecture, founded by Zheng Yu and Zhan Di, seems comfortable leaving things slightly open. Not unresolved, just not overdefined.
Which is probably why the house feels easy.
It doesn’t try to control how it’s used. It gives enough structure, then steps back a bit. Over time, it’ll shift—because the people living in it will.
That’s usually when a house starts to make sense.
Project Details:
- Designers: Wu Leilei, Hou Shaokai, Lei Ronghua, Wang Shengqi, Zhuang Shaokai, Zhang Zhirui, Li Shinan, Zhan Di, Zheng Yu
- Team Lead: He Yuyu
- Location: Shanghai, China
- Category: Family Home
- Year: 2024
- Contractor: Shanghai Zhiye
- Photography: Zhu Hai
