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Architects: zU-studio
- Area: 200 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Maxime Meignen
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Lead Architects: Javier Zubiria zU-studio architecture Polette Design Team Elodie Stéphant Luca Girlanda Florijn Steenhuisen
Text description provided by the architects. The World is upside down. Polette has been a game-changer and very revolutionary in its industry over the last decade. It is an original and very creative contemporary company it is clearly adapted to a new era and connects directly factory and consumer.
Therefore, Polette's high-quality products are affordable for all the citizens and their designs are fresh and original, whit an enormous variety in all the models, all of them designed by the Polette Design Team. Expressing through a spatial experience what Polette is doing, has been one of the main challenges of this project. We wanted to express this new vision by taking a recognizable icon that everybody could identify and turning it around.
In this case, we thought of the power of an Inverted Pyramid and the concept "The world upside down" referring to Polette's original thinking process as well as to the current worldwide situation, where there is a clear shift going on. The showroom is very delicate, minimal, and sober, we wanted visitors to experience the feeling of walking on an art gallery. We want it to be neutral, so everybody feels welcome.
The store is perfectly located at Rue Rivoli, between the Louvre and Le Samaritaine, the epicenter of design and architecture. New buildings are the Beurs of commerce, recently renovated by Tadao Ando, are also a part of this vibrant neighborhood.
We wanted to establish a clear connection between the street and the interior showroom. A giant storefront showing an artwork, connecting with citizens from different generations, inviting people to dream big. Pyramids have been very meaningful and powerful symbols in different cultures, spiritual icons.