Article: Episode 4: How I imagined the interior of the store
Episode 4: How I imagined the interior of the store
I'll explain the steps that allowed me to arrive at the final design of the store!
One of my very first moodboards!
In the last newsletter, I told you about the administrative hassle involved in finalizing my loan and financial guarantees in preparation for signing the lease for the store. If you missed that episode, check it out here . Today, I'm taking undisguised pleasure in telling you how I came up with the codes, the atmosphere, and the experience at 8 rue Charlot!
It all starts with a mood board
After 5 years of welcoming you into my Parisian studio bathed in light with its large bay windows, a place of confidence where we remade the world and tried on jewelry in peace and pleasure, I wanted to create a link with the boutique, to prolong the experience.
Colors, materials, sensations: I listed everything that the studio evoked in me to find the right words and sort through them. To this, I added a whole lot of inspiration. My best ally: Pinterest. I went from pin to pin following the tremors of my heart. I wanted to find the yellow that dresses a corner of the studio, white, light wood, the polished concrete of the fireplace, references to Japan, designer pieces... Recreate a place as intimate and warm as the studio and free myself from the constraints of a boutique.
I also did a lot of "benchmarking" by wandering around boutiques that inspire me. I particularly like the atmosphere of Aesop boutiques, which I find refined and organized without being cold, cozy and refined without being intimidating. I took photos that I annotated in the boutique bible...
To give substance to certain intuitions and be more constructive in my feedback/comments to Nicolas, I used AI, with varying degrees of success!
From dream to reality
To help me make this dream come true, I didn't think twice. I surrounded myself with the best, and in this case, the best architect I know! An ultra-experienced person whom I trust with my eyes closed, my friend Nicolas, co-founder of the F8 agency, whom I've known for a good fifteen years (time flies!).
I always have a lot of trouble delegating and I'm surprised by how much I let go. What's magical about working with someone who knows the subject inside and out is that they're able to anticipate all the little questions I hadn't thought of, like where to place the different elements so that circulation is optimal, which way to put the front door opening, where to place the radiator, etc.
The hardest part is being able to project yourself, to feel your intuitions and to know when to turn back and why. Example: for my initial brief, I wanted to borrow decorative elements from… a spa! The idea: for the store to be so welcoming that you feel at home and relaxed when you walk through the door. Okay. After seeing the renderings, I realized that the idea was there but that it wasn't ultimately the direction I wanted…
Bye, bye, view of the trash cans! Yes, you have to be able to project yourself, but the result promises to be sensational...
Tears in my eyes!
Tick, tock, the first quotes have just been approved, the work can begin! More next Monday :)
