When children are the clients, designers may feel compelled to veer toward kitsch over substance. But Li Xiang, president and design director at Shanghai-based X+Living, has found a niche developing whimsical and immersive experiences that celebrate the wild-eyed imaginations of children while still catering to their parents’ elevated design sense. In addition to helming two of Neobio’s indoor playgrounds, she’s behind the recently opened Meland Club and Loong Swim Club, both in China, where she’s created charming, childlike wonderlands that are far from childish.
Pure Imagination
At Wuhan, China’s Meland Club, children are encouraged to fully “explore the fantasy kingdom and remind parents to cherish their time with their children,” she says. A starry black backdrop sets the stage for the surreal alternative universe Xiang created, complete with quirky design elements such as a shoe storage area with car-shaped cabinets, stacked houses that recall the Potala Palace in Lhasa, China, and a purple ball pit. Xiang conceived a similar make-believe utopia at Neobio Family Park in Shanghai, where she conceived a hot air balloon rising from an ancient castle swathed in a mélange of patterns and soft hues that reveal an exclusive magical world.
Family Affair
The hallmark of her spaces is their ability to strengthen the parent-child bond. The Meland Club, for one, “has broken through the imagination boundary between adults and children and preserves the memory of good times between them,” she says. It’s a credit to Xiang’s ability to deeply understand her clients that she’s also been asked to reimagine two shopping malls with floors designed exclusively for children. “To create a pleasant space for parents and children, we need to meet the needs of both sides at the same time,” she says. “We not only take into account the nature of children, but also provide a relatively comfortable environment for parents.”
Kid-Friendly Design
Like something out of a fairy tale, Loong Swim Club in Suzhou, China is a pastel-dipped swimming and recreational club for children and parents that evokes a fanciful adventure. Divided into five main areas, Xiang’s lighthearted design sense comes into play with a reception desk that mimics the shape of a ship, while giant lights suspended over the pool and the reading room resemble drops of water. “We not only use interesting shapes and a rich color palette to appeal to the children’s attention, but also to create story scenes that inspire exploration,” she says. Each element is playful yet thoughtful—in the reading room, for instance, seating looks like cresting waves—with a continuous black thin line adding an avant-garde look to the overall space. But safety is always top of mind. In addition to windows that offer visual interaction for parents, “we used a large quantity of leather on walls, furniture, and in recreation areas as decorative materials that aim to protect children from injury,” she says.
Meland Club in Wuhan, China is awash in a rich, dreamy color palette
A starry background creates an otherworldly experience at the Meland Club
Meland Club’s surreal design recalls the mystery of Grimms’ Fairy Tales
Lighting that looks like water droplets suspends over the swimming pool at Loong Swim Club in Suzhou, China
A makeshift throne crowns the restaurant’s dining room at Loong Swim Club
For a playful but fashionable look, black and white stripes are set against pastel hues in Loong Swim Club’s locker rooms
