House of Dior Beijing Lights Up Taikoo Li Sanlitun

House of Dior Beijing, a petal-shaped architectural marvel, officially lit up on Thursday in the heart of Taikoo Li Sanlitun — the Chinese capital’s epicenter of “luxury and cultural effervescence,” as the house described it in a statement.

Spanning five stories, the retail superstructure, one of the brand’s largest in China, kicks off the launch of Taikoo Li Sanlitun North, an open-air luxury destination with stand-alone structures for Dior, Louis Vuitton and Hermès.

“House of Dior Beijing is much more than a boutique, it’s a real house of dreams,” said Delphine Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture, in an email. 

“It is a realm of unique experiences, where all forms of art de vivre come together beautifully — from architecture to gastronomy, design to fine craftsmanship and contemporary art, a place of renewal and wonder.”

Arnault added: “This new location in one of the most dynamic districts of the Chinese capital, Sanlitun, highlights and reinforces our historic, unbreakable ties with China and its fabulously inspiring creative scene.”

The facade of the building, designed by French architect Christian de Portzamparc —— who the brand previously worked with on its flagships in Seoul and Geneva —— is a blooming mega-sculpture with sweeping curves constructed of 14 petals and golden glass tiles.

Speaking to WWD ahead of the store launch, the 81-year-old, Pritzker Prize-winning architect said the design was meant to convey a sense of flexibility and movement, which echoes the way that Christian Dior liked to drape fabrics. It also evokes caryatids, or sculpted female figures serving as architectural support in ancient Athens architecture, due to the pedestrian nature of the outdoor shopping mall. 

To create each 65-foot-tall petal, Portzamparc used a special resin-casting technique and collaborated with a local manufacturer, which moved operations to a factory closer to Sanlitun and spent 18 months crafting the pieces.

“The idea came from Seoul because Seoul has shipyards, so it was easy to do that for Beijing. We had studied the routes for transporting the hulls, which had to be very, very precise. So we found a factory that knew how to do that, but didn’t have the right route to get here — that’s why it relocated,” said Portzamparc.

Portzamparc also adjusted the original petal structure for Beijing, widening the spaces between them and adding a massive vertical golden glass tile wall to each facade — a similar aesthetic found in traditional Chinese architecture. 

During the day, the colored-glass facade of Dior’s neighboring Louis Vuitton flagship reflects light onto Dior’s own glass structure, sending refracted hues dancing across the building. At night, the House of Dior transforms into a glowing lantern, creating an ever-shifting dialogue between light and space.

For Portzamparc, the Taikoo Li Sanlitun project played a major role in the reintroduction of pedestrian life into modern-day Beijing, a sprawling city known for its concentric expressways.

“Beijing is a pioneer of modernity and also a pioneer of this kind of modern urban planning which followed the rule of the automobile, and above all, the death of the street that Le Corbusier decided upon,” said Portzamparc. “It is not the easiest to live with the wide and fast avenues; it is difficult to cross the street as a pedestrian.

“I feel like sometimes we’ve lost a bit of our tradition, such as the hutong neighborhoods, which were wonderful, yet they have somewhat been forgotten,” Portzamparc said. Taikoo Li Sanlitun’s zoning plan — which largely prohibits cars — is designed for walking.

“When something is a little bit new and a little bit exciting in architecture or urban planning, it can bring a lot to the table,” said Portzamparc. 

Taikoo Li Sanlitun was a pioneer in introducing the concept of neighborhood shopping to China when it opened in 2008. Its success at the time, mostly with mass market brands, paved the way for the arrival of Taikoo Li Chengdu, considered one of China’s best luxury retail destinations for blending historical preservation with a high-brow shopping experience. That in turn inspired Taikoo Li Sanlitun to go through a five-year luxe transformation.

“It’s a modern neighborhood, but it has dimensions that hark back to life before, to life when there were still streets. The organization of the street probably originated in China…we believe that the street is eternal,” Portzamparc added.

For Taikoo Li Sanlitun visitors, another marvel of the Dior flagship is its holiday window display — a magical theater upheld by vintage travel trunks that portray miniature scenes, such as Christian Dior manning the atelier, hosting a runway show, and greeting guests at 30 Avenue Montaigne with his faithful dog Bobby. 

Dreamlike carousels adorned with Lady Dior handbags, J’Adore pumps, medallion chairs, and Miss Dior perfume bottles — all house icons — are staged in a luminous setting, offering a localized interpretation of the brand’s global holiday installations.

Once inside the new store, the enchantment continues in a well-lit space that highlights Cabochon parquet flooring, wallpapers accented with touches of gold, and abundant fresh bouquets — some immortalized as themed artworks — paying homage to the founding couturier’s enduring relationship with flowers.

Designed by Dior’s in-house team, the store doubles as a gallery with designer furniture, including Claude Lalanne’s Ginkgo Leaf bench, Sarah Meyohas’ misty painting and Valeria Nascimento’s ceramic floral composition Gold Cascade.

Hervé Van der Straeten’s Super Bubbling mirror, Not Vital’s steel sculpture Cuq, Franck Evennou’s tables, and works by Xu Zhen, Wang Xiyao, and Annalu infuse the space with vibrant palettes and a contemporary energy.

At the brand’s fine-dining restaurant, Monsieur Dior by Anne-Sophie Pic, three artworks from Chinese painter Hong Hao highlight the beauty of the color red and recall Beijing’s original spatial order — a central axis that consists of the Forbidden Palace, ceremonial structures and more. Dior Maison objects, including a trunk and vases created by Joy de Rohan Chabot, sit in a room adjacent the restaurant.

The main focal point of the store is a monumental spiral staircase that leads visitors to the second floor, where the brand’s womenswear offerings — including the latest cruise 2026 collection designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri — are merchandised alongside accessories, fine jewelry, Dior Lady Art projects, and La Collection Privée fragrances.

The third floor offers men’s collections, timepieces, and tailoring, while the top level features two private rooms, a space filled with white toiles — an OMA concept — and an outdoor terrace.

Here, a reproduction of René Bouché’s painting “Monsieur Dior à table” adorns the corridor and highlights the couturier’s love of the art of hospitality. Inside the private room, a hypnotic painting by the French artist Mathilde Denize underscores the poetry of the space.

To inaugurate the venue, Dior unveiled an exclusive selection of products, including dresses from the 2026 cruise collection, gold-embroidered Lady Dior and Dior Toujours bags, a plush red Dior B57 sneaker, 10 Rose des Vents pendants, and more.

For fans of Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson’s work, his debut collection for women’s and men’s will arrive in stores at the beginning of January.

On Thursday evening, Arnault; Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou, deputy CEO of Christian Dior Couture; Anderson; Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, and celebrities including Chinese actress Ziyi Zhang; Dior global brand ambassadors Ana Zheng and Yuxin Liu; Dior global beauty ambassador and brand ambassador in China Wei Deng, and brand ambassador Ye Zhou attended the opening ceremony.