Following the opening of a string of boutiques in Tokyo, New York City, Seoul and London, French leather goods brand Polène has shifted its focus back to home base Paris to inaugurate a second standalone store in the middle section of bustling avenue des Champs-Élysées. The retail space, the brand’s largest to this date, occupies no less than 491 sqm. (5,285 sq.ft.) spread across two floors of a six-storey building. For the interior design, Polène has once again collaborated with WGNB, a spatial design studio based in Seoul. Anticipating Polène‘s wish for classical architectural elements such as domes and arches, a central dome was created, which not only takes centre stage, but also influences the entire spatial layout of the store. Ample cues were taken from historic European dome structures, which traditionally were built in stone, while Polène’s signature aesthetics were blended in by contrasting the softness of leather against the strength of stone. The lofty ground floor provided ample opportunity, and quite literally so, to fully implement the dome theme, but also add many arches.

The new layout is reorganised through a panoramic circular structure, and also makes the most of the many existing windows. The aforementioned ‘stone’ element in the interior design is in fact travertine masonry and plaster, reflecting the architectural theme. Travertine is used extensively to unify the lower walls and flooring, while softer materials like wood and leather provide warmth amongst the voluminous space. Leather is applied to columns, furniture, and display elements, softening the space and infusing it with additional warmth. Timber is applied top the visually dramatic spiral staircase, but also to the upper floors and walls. Furnishings and fixtures include a monolithic cash desk crafted from crushed leather scraps by Hors Studio, a design, research and craft studio based in Tours, Cito‘s window displays, tiles designed in collaboration with artist Clémentine Debaere-Lewandowski and used for a jewellery display, and last but not least, artist Marianna Ladreyt‘s intricately knotted sofas. The new Polène store carries the full range of bags, pouches, small leather goods, and jewellery pieces. © superfuture