-
Architects: Studio Vincent Eschalier
-
Photographs:Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt
Text description provided by the architects. Studio Vincent Eschalier designed the Paris showrooms and offices for Bestseller, a major player in the fashion industry. A domestic language was chosen as the project's guiding principle: rounded shapes, veils, soft lighting, and furniture… To highlight the clothes and complete the space's identity, MVE-Collection – the studio's design branch – designed a custom line of clothing racks. Raw, precious; raw, precious… As visitors move from room to room, they experience different atmospheres, all connected by the same common thread: the client's identity, halfway between Denmark and France, clean lines and the warmth of wood. Setting aside all specifications, Vincent Eschalier engaged in in-depth discussions with the client to determine the guidelines for a truly bespoke space. "Ou job is to translate the words and images of our clients into projects, drawings, and materials", says the Studio's founder.
It's the material itself that provides a great deal of character to this office-showroom space. The Haussmann building, rich in history, has retained its structural elements and enhanced them. Load-bearing walls in century-old brick and stone, as well as wood, have been combined with softer, rounded sections, and a domestic language deployed across the entire surface of the project. Openings are left visible to emphasize the building's transparency, curtains diffuse natural light from the windows, and lighting fixtures are subdued. The building was divided into numerous small spaces, and demolition of the historic partition walls was not allowed. The Studio thus carried out a major opening-up project to invite in space and light. Intermediate partitions were eliminated. Mirrored ceilings in the circulation areas on the upper floors further enhance the feeling of space. As a result, the building has been made virtually walk-through: the courtyard is visible from the street. The facade has been renovated and enhanced, thanks to the openings. Sheet metal, with its raw appearance, is one of the central elements. The reception area opens onto a living space designed as a lounge, a place to meet, work and relax. Furnished with sofas and sophisticated furniture, it offers warm and familiar comfort. The workspaces feature dynamic offices designed by MVMT. Beneath the restored historic stone arches, the basement is a warm, noble space, with wood paneling and a staircase in curved aluminum sheeting.
The Studio had the opportunity to indulge in an exercise in technique: its elements are concealed in volumes, spaces, thicknesses, and sometimes even double as partitions. The project becomes completes thanks to the line of bespoke clothing racks, a true element of identity, designed by MVE-Collection as an extension of the architectural project. The result is two collections of custom-made clothing racks, named Line and Trestle: one made from a single bar of curved brushed steel; the other, more radical, in brushed steel plank topped with a varnished oak bar. Between tradition and risk-taking, the Vincent Eschalier architecture and design studio sculpts strong spaces, with raw language and meticulous detail. Founded in Paris in 2009, the studio stands out for the complexity and boldness of its creations. The multi-disciplinary team's work is guided as much by high standards as by the ambition to produce timeless creations. From the interior of a private jet to contemporary apartments and customized workspaces, not forgetting the creation of recycled aluminum door handles, Studio Vincent Eschalier's creations cross several disciplines, the main ones being architecture, interior architecture and design.
