Having a coworker send me photos from their vacation could be problematic, but when the photos are of Paris and taken by our creative director, I am once again reminded why I love working at DWR. These shots were taken at the Hermès store on the Left Bank. The former home of the Lutetia Hotel’s indoor swimming pool, the space was transformed by Denis Montel of Rena Dumas Architecture who designed a dramatic selling floor with giant David Trubridge-like pods of bent ash wood and a sinuous staircase. “It’s both primitive and sophisticated,” writes Alain. “Richard Serra’s Cor-10 steel Torqued Ellipses reinterpreted in billowing wood mesh.” (My coworker is quite poetic when he writes from Paris.)
“It’s an aesthetic refinement with a steady eye on materials and construction. The craftsmanship is amazing, and even the handrails on the steps are covered in velvety leather – an Hermès touch of over-the-top attention to detail. I’m an interloper in this ultra-luxe retail depot but the staff is as warm and welcoming as in the corner bakery.”
And should you be craving a corner bakery, the store even includes a tea bar, named Le Plongeoir (the diving board).
