At the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen, Silverfox Studios sets the scene for diverse forms of culinary mastery.

Silverfox Studios | The landmark Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen contains not one, not two, but five Silverfox Studios projects. This highly visible venue, in Shenzhen’s central UpperHills Building, was full of experimental possibility in one of the world’s most experimental cities.

Shenzhen was China’s very first Special Economic Zone: today it’s known for innovations in technology and design, with a famously futuristic skyline. “China’s Silicon Valley” has balanced business venues with green spaces, luxury malls and cultural centres. In 2026, the city is set to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

The Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen has received a five-star rating from Forbes Travel Guide, a Condé Nast Traveller’s Reader’s Choice Award, and one Michelin Key. The top floors of the hotel are occupied by French brasserie OPUS 388, tapas bar and restaurant Tapas 77, all-day restaurant Bazaar, Japanese fine dining space RIN, and the MO Bar/Prohibition Bar: along with several meeting rooms on Level 77, all Silverfox Studios projects.

RIN is a private-dining Japanese restaurant on the 78th storey of the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen. Developed as a Japanese private fine-dining room, RIN stays close to its roots by drawing on timeless Japanese hospitality practices.

The traditional Japanese room, or washitsu, informed all spaces around the restaurant: diners would associate this with ryokan, traditional dining spaces, elegance and comfort. Silverfox Studios drafted several potential washitsu layouts, which eventually came together for the distinctive design of the entrance, corridor, and Sake Lounge.

The Sake Lounge has fabric-panelled walls and a similarly coloured, textured ceiling: red lacquered furniture and art add contrast. This is a pre-dining area where guests enter before going into one of three Teppanyaki Rooms: to preserve the mystery, the Sake Lounge has no windows or overwhelming sensory elements. Many washitsu have sliding shoji screens used to divide rooms: here, the screens slide away, quietly and elegantly, to usher guests into the next space.

The three Teppanyaki Rooms are designed around elements of distinctive Japanese craft: teppanyaki, the Japanese art of live cooking, can be said to be the fourth. Each room has a rigorous material palette: like the Sake Lounge, the same material is seen to “envelop” each room, from the ceiling to the floors. Low cooking counters, elevated hoods and full-height windows allow the expanse of the Shenzhen skyline to be seen from guests’ seats in each room.

The Steel Room’s floors, walls and ceiling are made from Corten steel, which forms a stable rust-like coating: this natural patina contributes to a warm, worn look. The Pine Room, inspired by pine cabins in Hokkaido, is entirely panelled with timber, with contrasting smooth cream leather upholstery. The Concrete Room has lightweight pre-cast concrete walls and flooring: to accommodate smaller groups of diners, a wall can be used to separate them while keeping both sides of the countertop accessible to chefs.

Every Mandarin Oriental property has its MO Bar: Shenzhen’s is Prohibition Bar, a semi-hidden bar that recreates the intrigue of Prohibition. Since its opening in 2022, Prohibition Bar has embraced global cocktail culture and creativity. The rotating cocktail menu, frequent collaborations and reinventions have placed Prohibition, first among hotel bars in mainland China, on the prestigious Asia’s Top 50 Bars list in 2025.

In the 1920s, the United States of America saw a complete ban on alcohol: in response, the distribution of alcoholic beverages went underground, controlled by the gangs of New York and Chicago. Liquor was stored in warehouses and cellars, enjoyed in secrecy in venues named “speakeasies”:  a name adopted by celebrated hidden bars today. Prohibition Bar honours the mystery of the time period, and the exclusive parties in Prohibition attended by people “in the know”.

To gain access to the bar, a guest has to locate a hidden lift lobby behind the Chinese steam kitchen in Bazaar. The lift takes them up to Level 79, where a long backlit corridor leads them to Prohibition. This corridor is decorated with trunks and timber planks, which slowly give way to open crates lined with illuminated bottles.

The main bar, where drink-mixing displays are conducted, is a long bar top with integrated DJ booth and cocktail station. Built for both practicality and appearance, both bar front and back bar have a distressed finish and built-in shelving, with a large display of bottles behind the counter.

Prohibition Bar’s image is glamorous, but edgy: there is deliberate contrast between the industrial warehouse-like finishes and elegant Art Deco furniture. Soft, comfortable upholstery, dark timber and steel are unexpectedly luxurious finishes. Ceilings in the lounge areas have steel beams with concealed lighting, which creates depth of shadow. Semi-private rooms near the back have panelled walls and shelving, displaying items like books and curios: these rooms are placed on elevated decks, which provide views of the skyline from the back of the venue, over lower-placed seating areas.

Project: RIN, Prohibition Bar at the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen
Location: China
Design Studio: Silverfox Studios
Photo Credits: Edmon Leong
Website: silverfoxstudios.design