TBH: Somewhere Between Shanghai and Paris

An unexpected discovery in Le Marais, where a Shanghai-based home brand brought its idea of comfort, dreams and everyday life into a 17th-century Parisian mansion.

One of the best things about Paris Fashion Week is what you discover between the scheduled events. Walking through Le Marais, rushing from one appointment to another, we came across tbh House of Dreams almost by accident. We hadn't planned to visit, but curiosity took over. And we're glad it did.

Behind the doors of a 17th-century mansion at 79 Rue du Temple, the Shanghai-based home brand tbh (The Beast Home) had created an entire world around something we all share: the bedroom.

It might sound like an unusual subject for an exhibition, but think about how much of our lives happens there. It's where we begin and end each day, keep our most personal belongings, read, rest and dream. And depending on where we grew up, our idea of a bedroom can look very different.

A little Shanghai in the middle of Paris

Founded in Shanghai in 2018, tbh creates home textiles, bedding, sleepwear and accessories, bringing traditional Chinese influences into contemporary interiors.

For House of Dreams, the brand imagined a conversation between two cities. The project connected a Chinese-style garden villa on Shanghai's Xinhua Road with a historic French mansion in Paris, exploring how familiar objects and everyday rituals can travel between cultures.

Walking through the rooms, you could discover traditional Chinese furniture alongside modern textiles, carefully arranged bedrooms and unexpected decorative details. A traditional Chinese canopy bed dressed in golden silk introduced one side of the brand's cultural references, while contemporary colours and fabrics brought the story closer to today's homes.

There was plenty to notice in the materials too. Soft bedding, delicate embroidery, denim and a carefully chosen palette of chocolate brown, deep blue and warm yellow showed how much personality can come from textiles alone.

When the bed becomes a world of its own

The exhibition also introduced Wōdrobe, tbh's newer textile concept built around the idea of a nest.

The name combines wō (窝), the Chinese word for nest, with wardrobe. It's a lovely way of describing something familiar: the little space we create for ourselves, where we feel comfortable and safe.

Throughout the installation, the bed became a starting point for imagination. The exhibition's dreamlike world included references to nature, animals, changing colours and the strange way dreams move between familiar and unexpected places.

The brand also collaborated with actress Juliette Binoche on a visual story in which she moves through different dreams, from deep blue surroundings to red interiors and rooms filled with greenery.

It all made us think about how rarely we consider the emotional side of home textiles. We spend so much time choosing furniture and decorative objects, yet the things closest to our skin - sheets, pillows, blankets - probably shape our everyday comfort more than we realise.

An unexpected stop worth making

What made House of Dreams memorable was the opportunity to discover a brand through its own cultural references. Chinese domestic traditions, contemporary Shanghai life and Parisian architecture came together in a way that encouraged visitors to wander, look closer and become curious about the objects around them.

We also learned that tbh has collaborated with names such as Ganni, Marimekko and Hello Kitty, showing a more playful side to its textile collections.

For HAY-HAY, discovering tbh was a welcome reminder that Fashion Week can open doors to much more than clothing. Sometimes the most interesting creative conversations happen in the spaces between fashion, interiors, craft and everyday culture.

And sometimes all it takes is walking through an unfamiliar doorway on your way to somewhere else.

Photo credits: Naira Kosyan

Text: Lucine Ayanian