As any Chanel aficionado will tell you, rue Cambon in Paris represents the very cradle of the iconic fashion house. It’s here, on number 21 to be precise, where founder Coco Chanel opened her very first boutique in 1910 dedicated exclusively to hat designs. And now, decades later, Chanel cleverly builds further on this legacy, opening a brand new flagship store on number 19. The retail space, strategically situated on the corner of rue Cambon and rue St.-Honoré, measures a palatial 1,500 sqm. (16,146 sq.ft.) spread across five floors in three adjacent buildings. The interior design, created by New York City-based architect Peter Marino, takes cues from the building’s Lutetian limestone, a construction material widely used in the French capital, and is also applied inside and most notably captured by the central staircase that connects all floors.
The overall aesthetic is distinctly modern and clean, and features sumptuous elements and materials to evoke an exceptional experience for the brand’s discerning clientele. Chanel allowed Marino to pull out all the stops, and well, he did. The flooring comprises Versailles parquet, the curtains are all hand-embroidered by Maison Lesage, and the crystal and gold light fixtures are made by affiliated company and haute French jeweller Goossens. Similar to other Chanel flagships across the planet, contemporary art forms a significant element, and for this retail space, a 14-metre high artwork of steel and vinyl disks by Berlin-based multimedia artist Gregor Hildebrandt has been selected as the ultimate showstopper, gracing the pristine white stairwell.
Chanel
19 rue Cambon (St.-Honoré)
75001 Paris
Telephone: +33 1 44503419
Publishers Note
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