Name: Chris Shao
Company: Chris Shao Studio
Position within company: Director / Founder
Website: www.chrisshaostudio.com
Tell us a little about your background in design (education, experience, etc)
I first studied at the business school of Univerisity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris, graduating with a double bachelor degree in international business and marketing. Later on, I pursued a Master of Fine Arts at the New York School of Interior Design, landing my first project while I was still a student — to design the interiors of a multi-family project at 111 Varick Street in SoHo, New York.
From there I started my interior design studio Chris Shao Studio, opening the New York office in 2017 and then Shanghai in 2020. Currently, both studios have broadened their design footprints focusing on high-end residential, hospitality, and commercial projects internationally.
In 2020, I decided to venture into collectible design, founding a gallery in Shanghai. Objective Gallery marked a cultural shift in the country’s relation to contemporary art and design. Upon the success of Shanghai, Objective Gallery quickly expanded opening a New York location based in West SoHo.
How would you describe your personal design style?
I like to say that our studio lends a signature twist to everyday essentials. We are less interested in committing to one style, instead we like to focus on how we can bring a distinct feeling that is in line with our client’s style and desires. The marriage of masculine with feminine is a reoccurring theme, I like to mix the bold and sharp with the soft and romantic. All classics can be seen through a contemporary lens. My design philosophy is grounded in a respect for materials, looking toward the avant-garde while reinterpreting time-tested classics.
Where does your design inspiration come from?
We find inspiration working within the bounds of the client, the location, the culture; each project holds the keys to unlocking new inspiration. We gather all the information we can about and take it to dive deeper through related research. Of course, history informs us in the conceptual phase. From here we look to how we can integrate today, in a contemporary sense or alter with our client mind.