The setting is that of old Paris, now an exclusive showcase of luxury, a stone's throw from Place Vendôme and the Tuileries gardens. Once across the threshold, however, the links with the "air de Paris" are lost, while the codes of glossy glamour of the many flagship stores that crowd the surroundings are concealed in a more subtle way.
The new Off-White showroom, designed by OMA under the direction of Ellen Van Loon, stands out as the celebration of a contemporaneity that is built through an additive mode, layer above layer, composing the environments with a progressive stratification of suggestions and materials.
The space, arranged on three floors with access on rue de Castiglione, opens with a circular vestibule made of corrugated glass that gives access to a room covered in travertine and dotted with arches, designed both for retail and as a location for fashion shows. The view, however, is not definitive: the secondary entrance from Rue du Mont Thabor changes the rules with a terrazzo floor and custom-made furniture where products from co-partnership brands are showcased.
On the upper floors, the mezzanine is inspired by souvenir stores and uses the constraint of the low ceiling to recreate intimate environments where the home and children's collections are set up. On the second floor, that of the men's collections, materials end up finding themselves and multiplying, mixing travertine, painted metal, grating, wood and veneers. One above all, the red one in the background, the ideal setting to light up the space when it reveals its hybrid nature and open up to evenings, concerts and events.
- Program:
- Showroom
- Architects:
- OMA - Ellen van Loon, Samir Bantal, Giulio Margheri
- Team:
- Lina Jaidi, Camille Filbien, Natalie Konopelski, Valerio di Festa, Alexandru Tintea, Claudio Araya, Yushang Zhang, Giada Zuan
- Collaborators:
- De Studio (chandeliers), Barbarito Bancel Architectes
- Location:
- Paris
- Year:
- 2021