Joseph Duclos Arrives in Paris With a Timeless Boutique

Paris seems hard-pressed to need another luxury label. Still, the city has welcomed Joseph Duclos, a high-end boutique carrying a 21st-century collection of handbags and accessories with roots dating to the 18th century, when the brand was first established as a leather tannery in Lectoure and received the imprimatur of Louis XV. Today, thanks to company CEO Franck Dahan and artistic director Ramesh Nair collaborating with French designer Tristan Auer, the premier Joseph Duclos has debuted in a 4,300-square-foot environment that’s as chic as its location, steps from the Palais de l’Élysée.

“Since this is the first shop, I did it as a tailor does a suit,” begins Auer, who’s middle name could easily be luxury, having designed yachts and custom cars as well as recently revamped the Carlton Cannes hotel mere months before the annual film festival rolled out the red carpet. “My responsibility was to let people discover it.” Adds Nair, “It’s important that customers understand the technique,” referring to how each bag is handmade by a single artisan.

Behind the Design of the Joseph Duclos Boutique in Paris

Walk Through the Joseph Duclos Boutique 

FROM FRONT:

Thierry Lemaire: Sofa, Table (VIP).
Red Edition: Custom Chair (VIP), Custom Tables (perfume/candle).
living divani: sofa (perfume/candle).

THROUGHOUT:

les marbreries de la seine: marble.
tandem architecture: architect of record.
rdm: general contractor.

Pop-Art Style Decals Enliven the Design of This Paris Office

2022 Best of Year Winner for Environmental Branding

Saguez & Partners: michael bezou; justine potin; charlotte le gouvello; servane rigollot; marine belkebir; chloé de quillacq

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Peter Marino Architect Renovates a 3-Story Dior Boutique in Paris, Spotlighting the Brands ‘Inner Essence’

2022 Best of Year Winner for Fashion Retail

Back open after a two-plus-year renovation, Dior’s 50,000-square-foot, three-level boutique—which includes haute couture salons, two eateries, three gardens, and a bookable private apartment—unfolds in a spatiotemporal narrative akin to a theater set, creating what firm principal and Interior Design Hall of Fame member Peter Marino describes as a journey through the “inner essence” of the brand. “It’s not one idea through­out but, rather, walk-through spaces that tell a story, that keep the customer engaged and emotionally connected with Dior from start to finish.”

The concept pays homage to Christian Dior’s love of fine art and plant life with commissioned works, many nature-themed or conveying a sense of movement: Guy Limone’s immersive collage of archival Dior photographs in a café; sliding panels combining jute and gilded gesso by Nancy Lorenz in fine jewelry; Joël Andrianomearisoa’s textile-based Ultime Saison, 2021, anchoring a mezzanine seating area. Sartorial tropes abound—note how the rotunda’s spiral staircase ripples like the train of a ballgown, backdropped by a monochromatic installation of Dior designs through the ages. A stylistic mash-up of eras comingles parquet de Versailles flooring and classic boiserie paneling with vintage furniture by the likes of Gabriella Crespi and Joaquim Tenreiro, plus more than 100 specified materials (pandemic supply-chain issues be damned, Marino notes), from white stucco and French limestone to embroidered silk.

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Hot Shots: Polène Calls on Valériane Lazard to Design a SoHo, New York Locale

Valériane Lazard has quickly built a reputation for refined interiors in the country that invented chic. The 32-year-old French designer, who is originally from Provence, studied her craft in the Netherlands, where she graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven’s man and well-being program under the tutelage of Ilse Crawford. Lazard later focused her global view while working for such leading innovators as Studio KO, Vincent Van Duysen, and Interior Design Hall of Fame member John Pawson, before opening her Paris-based practice in 2017.

A Closer Look at Polène’s SoHo Store

Maison&Objet Highlights Dutch Design Through Rising Talent Awards Program

Dutch design has long piqued the interest of the industrial design community, starting in the ’90s with the appearance on the scene of stars like Hella Jongerius and Marcel Wanders. Today the design landscape is verdant with a new crop of designers celebrated as the Rising Talent at this year’s edition of Paris-based trade fair Maison&Objet now in its 25th year and taking place from September 8-12 at the Parc des Expositions Paris Nord Villepinte.

Chosen by a jury of globally renowned female designers, the distinction has been awarded to four individual talents and two design duos. (Chantal Hamaide, founder of Intermuros magazine, had a hand in the jury selection.) Jurors include luminaries like Kiki Van Eijk, herself a graduate from Design Academy Eindhoven and co-founder of studio Kiki & Joost; Weiki Somers, cofounder of her eponymous studio; designer Ineke Hans; and—news flash!—Hella Jongerius, color expert and designer extraordinaire of Jongeriuslab.

While Dutch design remains synonymous with experimental and conceptual design, its definition has expanded to include an international roster of students and designers educated or based within the country…thus Dutch design is also a state of mind. With an eye towards sustainability (see: all the waste material reused in these makers’ designs) and collaboration, the new generation of Dutch designers expands its reach.

Atelier Fig 

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Studio Hanna Kooistra

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Hailing from De Westereen in the north of The Netherlands, Hanna Kooistra looks to traditional Dutch objects and furniture forms for inspiration for her own designs. For example, the traditional Dutch chair the “knopstoel” (its name a reference to the bulbous knob atop its spindles) operates as a folding option meant to be mounted on the wall, a nomadic take on a classic style.

Théophile Blandet

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Théophile Blandet typically works in aluminum, which can be remelted and recycled, or plastic offcuts sourced from local factories. He imagines the plastic material will one day become rare, like ivory, and thus regain its value. Handcrafted pieces fall somewhere between functional furnishings and sculpture, such as his Fountain of Money piece. Says Théophile, “My objects refer to a whole host of different things that already exist. That’s what sets them apart and accounts for their complexity.”

Studio Yoon Seok-Hyeon

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Born in Cheongiu and having studied at Kookmin University in Seoul before Design Academy Eindhoven, Seok-hyeon Yoon of Studio Yoon Seok-Hyeon considers environmental impact in his design work. His project Relaxing Configuration translates knotting-making skills for creating rugs into repositionable forms meant to replace the standard sofa concept. His DAE graduation project Ott focused on alternative glazing materials for clay that may make the material recyclable and alighted on tree resin.

Visser & Meijwaard

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Having founded their Arnhem-based studio in 2013, juror Ineke Hans describes Visser & Meijwaard as, “some of the few people I’ve seen over the years who have a real mastery of product design.” With backgrounds in fashion, it’s no wonder the designs of Visser & Meijwaard tend towards bold hues and clean lines. Standouts include their LYN cabinet for glass furniture manufacturer Pulpo as well as a kaleidoscopic rug for boundary-pushing Dutch brand Moooi.

Simone Post

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Utrecht-born and Rotterdam-based Simone Post grew up with sewing machines at home and tends to focus on textiles for her work. For example, she’s created the Sinuous rug collection for Kvadrat/Maharam in yarns comprised of five colors, a recycled carpet line of repurposed Vlisco fabric scraps inspired by the sides of industrial fabric rolls, and even flooring for Adidas made from repurposed sport shoes. Says Simone, “My design always starts with the material, never with the end-product in mind. I see the act of play as the most important aspect of the design process.”

Sanne Terweij

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Receiving the Rising Talent award for Craft is Sanne Terweij. Selected by the president of the Ateliers d’Art de France, the artist compiles photos of aged and sun-blistered doors from around the world as inspiration for her wall sculptures consisting of hundreds of metal chips in graduated colors. The designer says, “The way color can alter your mood really fascinates me. It has so much influence on your mental state.”

WAO Architecture Designs a Temporary Boutique for Salvation Army Paris

When Salvation Army Paris decided to install a temporary boutique on a section of the ground floor of a 1960’s modernist structure that once housed the Musée de la Libération, local firm WAO Architecture knew the site was too rich in resources to simply strip bare. Since a hospitality venture had eyes on the building in the 14th arrondissement’s Montparnasse district, all interventions had to be temporary.

Very little was demolished, and elements that had to be removed were reused on-site. In fact, the transformation of the 3,230-square-foot space amounted to a kind of transubstantiation: Dropped ceilings were removed and refitted as display tables, illuminated by cleverly reconfigured fluorescent lighting; reclaimed wardrobes became partition wall anchors; a series of 10 metal windows served as shop walls; and numerous cabinets were constructed using OSB and plywood panels found on a variety of other sites. “The place itself inspired us,” WAO founder Minh Man Nguyen says. “We sought to keep its history alive in the new layout, as well as plan for ways in which materials could be reused again later on.” The project is further proof that adaptive reuse can itself be attractive and reusable.

Inside the Paris Flat of Galerie Kreo founders Didier and Clémence Krzentowski

Design dealers Didier and Clémence Krzentowski have lived at the same address, an apartment directly on the Right Bank of the Seine, since the mid-1980s. Looking directly onto the Eiffel Tower, their initial space measured 1,500 square feet. In 2000, they got the chance to extend it when the neighboring flat came up for sale. Their only problem? How to finance the acquisition. “I went to see my banker and told him, ‘All my money is in my art collection. I’ll have to sell a few things,’” Didier recalls. Initially, he thought he’d have to part with 20 or 30 works. In reality, he ended up deaccessioning just one: an ostrich by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. At auction, it fetched $270,000 and was dubbed by the French daily Le Monde “the most expensive ostrich in the world.”

Since 1999, when they founded Galerie kreo (“creation” in Esperanto) in Paris, the couple has gained almost legendary status. They produce limited-edition and one-off pieces with a roster of designers that includes Marc Newson, Konstantin Grcic, and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, many of which have found their way into the apartment. They are mixed with vintage furnishings, in particular an impressive array of chandeliers, sconces, and lamps by Italian maestro Gino Sarfatti (Didier has co-written two books on modernist lighting and has a personal collection of around 500 models, mostly in storage).

The apartment’s décor changes regularly in an apparently organic fashion. “There is no method,” Clémence insists. “We don’t worry about things going together. Our collection is our self-portrait. So, there’s a natural coherence.”
And not everything is a signed work. For Didier, a meteorite he bought 20 years ago is “the most important sculpture in existence,” he explains. “It’s the only one that can never be copied.”

Lichelle Silvestry Transforms a Haussmann Apartment into a Parisian Oasis

Lichelle Silvestry, founder and principal of her Paris-based studio, tackled the challenge of a complete renovation, decoration and turnkey project for a couple in their early 30s. The homeowners—a storytelling consultant from the U.S. and a French native who runs a fintech company—enlisted Silvestry’s help for a historic, 19th-century apartment.

The couple, who splits their time between France and their ranch house near Lake Michigan, asked Silvestry to create a functional yet cozy refuge in the city’s ninth arrondissement. “We reorganized the layout to create an open plan in the common areas by incorporating a kitchen near the living room, and getting modern comforts such as air conditioning, plenty of storage, walk-in closets, and a spacious bathroom ensuite,” says the interior designer. 

To bring some warmth and brightness to the 1,615-square-foot space, Silvestry introduced a light color palette combined with earthy accent tones as well as creamy and stone natural textures. “For example, we installed an Ananbo panoramic wallpaper in sepia tones with an oasis-like motif in the master bedroom,” says Silvestry. 

For this apartment nestled in an elegant Haussmann building, one of the other main objectives consisted in respecting the architecture from the past characterized by an old fireplace, cornices and moldings. The newly created arches and the low elongated sofa in the living area—among other elements—complement the welcoming atmosphere where materials such as natural oak, plaster, terrazzo, travertine marble and brass result in a balanced and peaceful home in the heart of Paris. 

15 Highlights from the Africa Edition of Révélations 2022

A temporary exhibition hall in the center of a Parisian park will host a postponed international craft show this summer. Taking place at the Grand Palais Éphémère in the Champ de Mars, Révélations 2022 will run June 9-12 in Paris with a special focus on the continent of Africa and its bronzesmiths, ceramicists, sculptors, carvers, textile designers, and cabinetmakers. Some 300 exhibitors will be featured at the fifth edition of the event, which launched in 2013 and was canceled last year. From a large scale necklace taking cues from the African Renaissance movement to a ceramic sculpture exploring a tribe’s ancestral tradition of woven and braided hair to a contemporary take on the ancient art of featherwork, here are 15 of our favorite examples of fine craft you’ll see at this year’s show. 

1. AD Paris

Art or jewelry? Adele Dejak channels both genres—along with the African Renaissance Movement—for large scale necklace AD Paris.

2. Umthwalo VII

Zizipho Poswa, a Xhosa woman, draws from her tribe’s ancestral tradition of woven and braided hair to conceive ceramic sculptures such as Umthwalo VII, shown here. Bestowed a traditional Xhosa name, each sculpture is a tribute to a woman in the tribe who influenced the artist’s life.

3. Table by Atelier Stefan Leo

To achieve the ivory-like patina of the base of this table, Stefan Leo soaped ceramic. The top is cast-glass crafted using the pâte de verre technique, which calls for mixing crushed glass with a binding material.

4. Vase by Vassos Demetriou

Vassos Demetriou’s exploratory journey with ceramic forms and slips native to Cyprus—where he has his ceramic studio—gave rise to the unpredictable curve and glaze of this ceramic vase.

5. Mimesis

Sicilian buffalo raised exclusively for the production of mozzarella provides the distinctive leather accents of Mimesis, a collection of Finnish pine wood furnishings by Jordi Ribaudi.

6. Clover

Textile transforms into the avant-garde when traditional knitting is paired with innovative yarn. Clover, a large mesh coat by Cécile Feilchenfeldt, playfully parts and flairs in the back.

7. Inborn Ott

Sungyoul Park took a deep dive into the Korean ottchil lacquer technique—his university major—to create the woven effect seen in his natural lacquer and pigment Inborn Ott bowl.

8. Empreinte IV

By “transforming paper into volume,” Ferri Garces constructs sculptures meant to be multiplied and joined. Soothing repetition is the result—as seen here in Empreinte IV.

9. Complice II

The ancient art of featherwork reaches a contemporary audience with Complice II, a Macassar ebony, sycamore, brass, gold leaf, and feathers cabinet designed with a nod to the 1930s by Maison Vermeulen in collaboration with carpenter Hervé Delumeau.

10. Orsetto 02

Flourishing an unexpected bounty of rounded legs, the Orsetto 02 coffee table by Martin Massé for The Ateliers Saint Jacques is carved from travertine navona, a delicately veined natural stone. Each limited-edition piece is signed and numbered.

11. La Mer(e), Origine du Monde

Ghizlane Sahli combines recycled plastic and silk thread for her organically-shaped sculptures. The silk thread on plastic and metal La Mer(e), Origine du Monde is part of a series that also includes bas reliefs and drawings.

12. Heroine Bookends

Abstract faces are a reoccuring theme in the work of Alimi Adewale, who uses them to address the unstable economic and political climate of his native Nigeria, where people, lacking welfare and security, “are faceless and voiceless.” He applied a glossy paint to his carved wood Heroine bookends.

13. Wall Sculpture Piece #1

Using rye grass, design studio Paelis preserves and innovates historical straw and stone marquetry techniques. Wall sculpture Piece #1 is included in the SiO Collection.

14. Flamingo

Perched on one leg, the hand-stitched, vegetable-tanned cowhide Flamingo by Sébastien Lepeu demonstrates the leather craftsmanship of Parisian luxury leather workshop Gustave Maurice.

15. Angry Boy

The mixed-media Angry Boy by Viktor Frešo is part of a series of sculptures, which run large and small, depicting a man with various expressions of anger.

The New Workplace Aims to Achieve Aesthetic Perfection

The pandemic presented an unprecedented opportunity for workplaces to pursue aesthetic perfection.

Clou Architects, firm’s own office, Beijing

Reminiscent of Andy Warhol’s seminal use of aluminum foil to cover walls in the Factory, his legendary New York studio, hot-dipped galvanized sheet steel—as found on common household appliances—provides luminescent reflections from a fully glazed facade offering sweeping views of the grand mountains northeast of the Chinese metropolis.

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HS2 Architecture, Riggio Foundation, New York

Given the institutions that philanthropist and Barnes & Noble founder Leonard Riggio’s family foundation supports, it’s fitting that the charity’s headquarters is a showcase for an enviable art collection that encompasses works by Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, Kerry James Marshall, and others, set off by a discreet envelope—travertine, Venetian plaster, industrial columns, walnut millwork and flooring—that allows for maximum visibility.

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Síol Studios, Four One Nine, San Francisco

Unexpected angles and unapologetic biophilia greet at every turn in this two-story community studio and creative agency in the city’s edgy SoMA district, its 3,300 square feet of column-free space made possible through the installation of an expansive steel truss that’s offset by white-ash paneling, 3-D tile, and Caesarstone counters.

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Matali Crasset, AWARE, Paris

Founded in 2014, this small nonprofit—its clever name the acronym for the Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions—now occupies an historic Montparnasse villa, the home and studio of Russian artist Marie Vassilieff in the early 20th century, the near-psychedelic renovation of the new digs by the French firebrand designer having been funded by the City of Light itself.

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MR Architecture + Decor, Confidential Investment Advisory, New York

The discretely comforting cues of financial stability are signaled with Maharam linen wallcoverings backing art by the likes of Rashid Johnson, while statement pieces like the Haas Brothers’ furry Beast bench show how much fun such privileged security can be.

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