After Cannes and Saint-Tropez, the third address of luxury multi-brand concept store, 55 Croisette, has opened in the heart of one of Paris’ most prestigious areas – Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Dynamic duo, Emil Humbert and Christophe Poyet of world-renowned construction and interior design firm Humbert & Poyet, have left their unique stamp on a decor that masterfully lies somewhere between measure and excess on a 400m² surface.
The brief the pair received previously for 55 Croisette’s Cannes boutique called for a luxury establishment adorned in raw materials – such as grigio carnico marble and macassar ebony – accompanied by a collection of mirrors and geometric features to underline the shop’s modern style. However, when Christophe and Emil were re-appointed to design the high-end fashion brand’s Paris boutique, the client’s vision was for a more ‘Parisian’ scheme, with a greater emphasis on luxury. Wood and less marble was a prerequisite of the client’s brief, whom required added warmth and traits of an ‘industrial look’ also interpreted into the scheme.
Christophe explains further: “The client sought for a scheme that had similarities to a Parisian flat, yet the brief required to retain the relatively commercial environment often associated with high-end fashion boutiques. Working diligently with the brief, Emil and I were highly inspired by the ‘chic’ neighbouring environment of Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and this is indicated in our mouldings and ceilings within the establishment.”
Art Deco opulence
Within an industrial, chic and contemporary Parisian-style, raw materials have been placed in striking contrast with statement decorative elements, resulting in an impressive display of Art Deco opulence. These Art Deco qualities emerged from a large chandelier that Emil and Christophe designed for the entrance of 55 Croisette. “This was something that was inspired through a piece that we saw at the ‘puces’ (a French flea market) in Paris. We stumbled across a very small Art Deco-style lamp and this is were our idea arose to design one on a larger scale.”
Upon entry, the cavernous second floor ceiling gives the place a statuary verticality. While a geometric assembly of ‘aged’ mirrors makes up the architectural fabric, in which an extraordinary light source is reflected. Inspired by Hollywood during the roaring 20s – and previous designs by the two architects – this centrepiece was made of solid bronze and opal glass by Italian craftsmen.
“The building had two floors initially,” comments Christophe, “but we decided to break up one part of the entrance to create a double-height entrance. It was of vital importance for us to create one wall of materials on one side of the boutique, so we chose a geometric mural that decreases in size as you ascend up to the first floor. The idea was to create a ‘cascade’ so the mirror is larger in size downstairs and reduces as you climb to the first floor. We accomplished this by repeatedly splitting the mirror in two over and over as we trailed the design up the wall, from the ground floor to the first floor.”
A terrazzo staircase, constructed in the spirit of Italian Architect Carlo Scarpa, invites you to discover the fashion brand’s collections presented upstairs. Maintaining continuity throughout the scheme, terrazzo has also used for the for the ground floor in a grey colourway. “After trialling many samples, we chose to use terrazzo in a black stone design with grey segments. This was accompanied by two distinctive colours of parquet flooring on the first floor; one grey and one black. Bronze was also a fundamental element for this design scheme. We used two different types of bronze; one style for the women’s segment of the store and another for the men’s. The women’s section features bronze with gold featured within the inside and for the men’s, the internal side of the bronzing is more grey in colour.”
Modernist features
In a more Haussmann-style decor, elegant mouldings have been recreated to frame the hanging rails like a painting, while a tinted, traditional solid oak floor in a bold pattern offers a very graphic setting thanks to the chromatic shades used to create the design.
The space dedicated to the boutique’s menswear goods is more angular but still has modernist features with the decor presenting bronze and calamine as well as tones of gunmetal grey.
“When it came to separating the men’s and women’s departments within the store, visually – particularly with the differentiation in materials – we have incorporated bronze and gold components for the women’s division and have opted for a darker colour palette with a black bronze for the menswear section. The colour palette plays a key role in differentiating the two; with very graphic black and white wallpaper contained within the menswear segment and a very warm and gold decor for the women’s – this mixture of colour and materials has successfully disjointed these two sections to appeal to both markets.”
It is in this atmosphere of refined elegance, punctuated with fine materials, that the Parisian and international clientele can indulge in a more pleasurable shopping experience. Everything has been carefully considered to ensure the best reception for a prestigious clientele and to ensure that the wonderful array of products are perfectly illuminated.
“In the world of retail design, it’s imperative to ensure that a retailer’s goods are in good visual sight for customers,” advises Christophe. “Another key piece of advice is to certify that the architecture won’t kill the products inside the store; it’s important to have a clean understanding of the brand or store that you are designing so that the brand’s customers feel important when visiting the store.
55 Croisette’s Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is an exemplar of the capabilities of first-class retail design. Humbert & Poyet’s design style has shone through in this graceful, well-designed scheme; with the firm’s renowned design style of modern lines, exquisite choice in exceptional materials and texture taking centre stage in a world of high-end retail design.
“It is important for us to mix various textures in our schemes so that they can be contrasted with different elements within the decor, for example, in this scheme, we mixed black, grey, bronze and texture with marble; we like to contrast materials with clean lines,” concluded Christophe. This is yet another successful scenography for Emil Humbert and Christophe Poyet who once again are shining stars in the world’s capital of fashion and luxury.