Dear Shaded Viewers and Diane,
French jewelry designer Charlotte Chesnais and Dutch architect Anne Holtrop’s intersecting visions on exploiting spaces collide just a few meters away from the greenest of Tuileries. The result is the first Parisian store, a flagship interior journey, called CHARLOTTE CHESNAIS. Upon first glance, the similarities between this French and Dutch professional might not seem obvious, however, they have managed to close out 2020 with a precious sandy temple dedicated to the timeless divinity of embellishing fine metals.
The boutique’s étalage is like a frame that unlocks beauty, bringing it to the forefront of the viewer’s eyes in a confronting way. Recycled acrylic immortalizes stone that appears as a floating ice block, sculpted as though the space demands a particular temperature for choosing the right metal and shape before it melts and lands on the client’s skin. The space was treated as a displayer-in-displayer with a piste where each season’s signature objects can land– the rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets are all exhibited on the transparent drawers.
“For me, this exceptional creation by Anne Holtrop is a continuation of the conversation between material and form that so fascinates me.”
– Charlotte Chesnais
While we all cannot wait for the opportunity to visit Paris again and explore its reconfigured concept stores, Chesnais’ boutique represents what a post-lockdown petit store should look like. It contains the brands’ DNA in a beautifully discreet amount of cubic meters where the product exhibits itself and is in conversation with all the materials that define the space. It is like a calculated hybrid layout between a gallery space and an ancient cave, where ideas may still be incubating but are also already on display to be seen by clients, visitors, or curious pedestrians.
Best,
Marcelo Horacio Maquieira Piriz.
Boutique Charlotte Chesnais
10 Rue d’Alger
75001 Paris (FR)
Tue-Sat: 11am-7pm
CHARLOTTE CHESNAIS – @charlottechesnaisjewelry
Photos © François Coquerel
