TMSK, the leading Shanghai bar and restaurant, has inspired by a high-design concept that has been beautifully and fluently realized. TMSK is the acronym for Tou Ming Si Kao, which can be roughly translated as 'crystal mind' or 'transparent thinking': the design is informed by transparency and beauty of glass along eith a quest for artistic purity. The result is not just the best restaurant design in Shanghai, the cohesion of the design, extending from. The interior to the food and the music, make this one of the best-executed restaurant concept in the world. In recent years the economic climate change in Chinese has prepared the way for Shanghai-always such as fascinating, cutting edge, bustling and unique city, benefiting from its position at a crossroad of influence-to return to its place as one of the great cultural centre. The glinting jewel of TMSK ensures that there is still a Shanghai surprise for even the most world-weary traveler.
TMSK is a spin-off from Liuli Gongfang, the glass design company which is now establishing a worldwide reputation. Liuli is an archaic Chinese for glass. As co-owner Chang Yi told the Taipei Times, liuli was chosen over the commonly used world boli because, "Everyone knows what glass is, and when you hear it immediately think of material, like bottles, glasses. Liuli is more redefined and embodies Chinese culture and history. The worlds hold within it the idea of traditional craftsmanship. Chang, a former film director, set up Liuli Gongfang with partner and actress Loretta Yang Hui-san when they surprised everybody by walking away from the film industry in 1987. Their design have made them famous all over again and they have become the unofficial ambassadors for the art of liuli. TMSK, which opened in 2001, put the art form into a social context. Liuli is used throughout the design, from furniture and table settings to floor and a particularly impressive vaulted ceiling of glass discs in the main dining hall. Many of elements are inspired by the beauty of nature.
The best place for cocktails is the Orchid Pond Lounge, which features a raised, rectangular pool of water decorated with rows of Liuli Orchid Glassed, each sitting in its own circle of colored light coming from below. Stately, gold-and-red-covered chairs sit on patterned metal flooring but the effect is not gaudy. The room is deliberately dark and moody; as the owner's say, "Light must be toned down. With this the eye pupil will dilate, and see more, and more distinctly, the rich variety of the shades of intricate details."Detail is the key to TMSK's, success-every element is crafted and its effect is considered as part of the whole, while lighting is carefully engineered throughout to allow the brilliance of individual design to be picked out without being lost in a garish gleam. The bar counter itself is a work of art. The front is made entirely of glass. With green circle standing upon a range of colored squares. The bar tools are round seats placed on the top of fuchsia-color glass vases, helping to create a crystal kaleidoscope. Familiar lantern design are reinterpreted throughout the restaurant, VIP and bar areas, while other traditional elements include red and black lacquered tables and typically Chinese chairs in the bar. Liuli Gongfang craftsmanship extends to the sculptural tableware and the range of interestingly shaped glasses with different-colored stems.
The design addresses itself as a “throwback to Tang Dynasty China", but the interpretation is extremely modern. It draws on the refinement of the pass but contextualizes it with modern references and translates it's beauty as refreshing, inimitable experience for a new audience. And TMSK is an experience. The upstairs dining area include the little stage where Ping tan opera is performed, but a traditional instrument of the san-xian ( three-stringed banjo) and the pipa (four-stringed lute) are blended with electronic beats to create a new mix. Like the design, the French-influenced food is imbued with a sense of balance, delicacy and colored translucency. The signature Liuli pate, for instance, is a cross-section of fresh vegetables and French pate set into a glass-like translucence orange gel. The international wine list is approaching 300 choices, while the emphasis on precise artistry extends to the cocktails.
About the Designer: Liuli Gongfang
TMSK, which ranks high amongst the best-designed restaurant & bar in the world, is the creation of the glass company Liuli Gongfang, which has reinvigorated the ancient Chinese art of glassmaking. It now has over 50 stores worldwide, selling everything from handcrafted tableware to jewelry to sculpture. Loretta Yang Hui-Shan, who co-founded the company with Chang Yi , was a famous actress before she gave up acting to focus on glass design. Almost every element in TMSK is handcrafted, from the vaulted glass ceiling to the colored glassware, the designer say that TMSK was inspired by the Tang dynasty:"First we picture a scene of extravagant luxury typical of the later Tang Dynasty, a scene of resplendent beauty, then in our imagination we light up the lamps & lanterns of over 1000 years ago, then we let all the decorative details somehow fade out & recede into a pregnant half-light".
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