Spin Shanghai is the kind of store a customer has to especially make a trip to.

Hidden in the compound of nondescript industrial buildings, one has to walk past factory gates and know exactly which building to head to. Definitely not a store with an impossible-to-miss façade anyone stumbles upon in between errands.

Pointing Nose Square Teaset (RMB 780/set)

Yet the customers keep on coming back. Spin prides itself on back-to-basics design that focuses on pure forms, subtle colours and clear purposes. Says Art Director Gary Wang, “It is really heart-warming knowing that people are buying our products out of their passion for good design, rather than the brand name or price tags.”

42cm Sliced Round Plate (RMB 640/ set of 8 pieces)

We think most people would agree the combination of these three factors is what probably makes Spin tick. What’s not to like, Chinese ceramic tableware that does not look out of place in a gallery at non-gallery prices. Clean and timeless design aside, Spin has garnered rave reviews from guidebooks and newspapers the world over since its inception in 2004. Ironically perhaps, it remains relatively unknown at home in Shanghai, with Western tourists and expatriates in China forming the bulk of its customer base.