Ayesha de Kretser/Shanghai Daily

Making quality furniture isn't difficult in China.
There's all the know-how to produce really beautiful, high-end pieces and the designers to envisage them right here under our noses. What is more problematic, however, is finding a producer who will actually sell his or her wares in China.
Casa Pagoda opened one month ago on Taikang Road and stocks some of the most striking leather and wood furniture available anywhere in Shanghai. But what is truly jaw dropping about the store is the prices.
Made from imported Italian and American leather and wood, all of the items are manufactured according to export standards. So you'd expect them to be priced accordingly, right?
Not so at the store on Taikang Road, where most items cost less than 10,000 yuan (US$1,234.57). Leontien Nipshagen, owner of the store, says the Casa Pagoda story started in Bangkok a year ago, and is expanding at a rate of knots.
A second store is under planning, scheduled to open in Shanghai early next year. Also on the cards are Belgium and Switzerland branches, as well as China-wide expansion.
Nipshagen has been in Shanghai for about one and a half years, and says most people appreciate the designs because they fuse oriental and European elements to create stylish and interesting pieces.
Most of the furniture is designed by Nipshagen's partner, who has lived in New York and San Francisco for the last ten years. Other European designers are also involved in creating some of the items.
One of the more eye-catching arrangements in the store is a three-seater red leather sofa (10,000 yuan), with matching arm chair (2,160 yuan), low lying settee (4,680 yuan) and cubic side table (1,900). Nipshagen says this range has proven extremely popular in Shanghai, as it is probably the most "oriental" of any of the collections.
While Casa Pagoda does not accept custom orders, it does offer all its leather items in an extensive range of colors and customers can select their preferred color.
Another great benefit is that the staff will arrange for shipping to your country of choice. Prices for transporting goods vary on a daily basis and from country to country, says Nipshagen, but knowing there is someone else to take the hassle out of getting goods overseas is still very reassuring.
Address: 15 Taikang Road
Tel: 6466 7521