There are libraries, and then there are the rare spaces that feel like portals into a quieter, more imaginative world. Chanel’s new Espace Gabrielle Chanel in Shanghai belongs firmly to the latter. It arrives as mainland China’s first public library dedicated to contemporary art, yet it reads like something more intimate: a cultural offering dressed with the quiet precision and thoughtful beauty that Chanel has mastered for decades.

Photo: Chanel

Set within the Power Station of Art, the 18,000-square-foot library houses more than 50,000 books and audio editions, each one waiting to be discovered in a space that feels almost meditative. Japanese architect Kazunari Sakamoto reimagines the former factory with a gentle, steady rhythm. The design creates a maze-like valley of books that mirrors the slow, sweeping movement of the Huangpu River nearby. It’s a soft interplay of industrial bones and natural flow, producing an atmosphere that feels both grounded and serene.

The library doesn’t stand alone. A new exhibition hall, design centre, theatre and an outdoor terrace overlooking the river extend the experience into a full cultural landscape. Every corner whispers Chanel’s love for artistry, curation and timeless beauty, but never in a loud or self-conscious way. Instead, the space invites visitors to move, read, think and return to their creative instincts.

Photo: Chanel

This opening marks Chanel’s first major Culture Fund initiative in Asia and aligns with the brand’s continued preference for thoughtful partnerships over solitary monuments. With fifty global collaborations already spanning institutions like Seoul’s Leeum Museum of Art, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and London’s National Portrait Gallery, the brand is shaping a network that supports artistic experimentation and expands public access to culture.

The Espace Gabrielle Chanel is now open, offering Shanghai not just a new library but a sanctuary where contemporary art, architecture and quiet luxury meet in perfect harmony.