Place Vendôme’s young lady is enjoying a renaissance. The sleeping beauty, which was bought by AMS Industries, sees itself rejuvenating. Benjamin Lobel and Manuel Mallen, its directors, have entrusted centdegrés to bring to life this renewal through their boutiques’ architecture.

Poiray likes to be introduced as “young, refined, with a sturdy character enrobed with an elegant touch”. We aimed to translate this vision with a particular mindset: “reestablish balance through playing with contrasts”. Noble materials, such as brass, create an initial impression of well-established luxury, worthy of a notable jeweler and watchmaker like Poiray. However, the journey inside the boutique holds surprises in store.

The contrasts we worked on have helped enable this. The prestigious heritage stands alongside daring stances: a section of wall covered with a wallpaper echoing the inspirations of the current collections; or a circular staircase going all the way to the ceiling, to dramatize the elevation; fineness meeting generosity; or walls making light of the brilliance of suspended displays.

At the heart of the new shop lies the Brand’s will to give a more important place to its watchmaking. The “Ma Première” watch receives a bracelet bar at the center of the room. It highlights values of the infinite possibilities of customization, particularly the four bracelets created in partnership with Hipanema, dressed with pearls and tassels. In a nutshell, we created a free expression of luxury traditional codes, a spectacular and refined dimension, a living space in perpetual renewal, an experience for oneself. This creative mantra will be rewritten in four other boutiques: rue de Passy, rue de la Paix, rue Royale and rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré from November 2014 to April 2015.

Photography by Jean Christophe Torres