Paris: A Tale of Two Shops
The art of presenting junk and the state of luxury
A few weeks ago we spent a couple of delightfully sunny days in Paris. The purpose was to visit Maison & Objet, a smorgasbord of a home decor trade fair, perfect for reawakening our design antennae from the post Christmas slump.
The highlight of Maison & Objet was the stand of All’Orgine, an obscure Italian company which sells and rents out 20th century interior objects to B2B customers, especially interior designers, for decorating spaces such as restaurants and movie sets. These objects include everything from glasses, vases, silver platters, laboratory flasks, old picture frames and sporting equipment to candlesticks, chopping boards, empty wine bottles, toys, cutlery and balls.
If you think this sounds like a whole load of junk you’re not far wrong. Most of All’Origine’s stock comes from flea markets, yard sales, restaurant closeouts and other classic sources of vintage ephemera. The difference is how they are curated and displayed.
Under the watchful eye of their creative director Corina Juncan, the items are selected with an eye for their visual impact and are presented in stunning displays. Visitors to their stand (or their showroom in Imola, northern Italy) are greeted by a kaleidoscope of glasses in jewel-tone colours, toys and other odd objects arranged not by function but by blocks of colour, wooden chopping boards cascading down a wall like scales of a pangolin and shelves of vases arranged in waves of colour that would put any rainbow to shame. Who would have thought a simple shelf of nothing but balls could look so captivating?
It is amazing how good presentation can make even junk look great. Indeed, throughout the ages humans have always been drawn to bountiful displays - think heaps of spices in medieval souks, groaning supermarket shelves and the homepage of Amazon. Perhaps we like the visual stimulation that comes with a display of excess, and who isn’t seduced by the chance of unearthing treasures amongst piles of junk? However, too much choice can be overwhelming and precious objects are best displayed in places where they have space to shine. An example of this strategy can be found on day two of our Parisian trip, when we visited the latest European outpost of RH.
In case you didn’t know, RH is the leading luxury furniture retailer in the US with more than 80 stores. They also operate restaurants, a hotel, two Gulfstream jets and a yacht, all decked out in their trademark understated, monochromatic look. Their Paris store is housed in an elegant townhouse on the Champs-Élysées that has been converted by Fosters + Partners. You walk down a limestone-paved path lined with ivy-clad walls, past the uniformed groundsman obsessively removing stray leaves, through the 6 metre high doors with brass panels which could have come from the Duomo in Florence and into a space which seeks to redefine the upper limits of opulence.
The interior is dominated by a huge atrium with ornate brass details glistening in a supernova’s worth of LEDs. The golden glow is so intense I thought I had walked into Donald Trump’s fever dream.
In amongst the theatrical surroundings the furniture is somewhat lost. It doesn’t help that the products are all rather uniform in style (sleek, minimalist, bland) and the colour palette rather predictable (shades of biscuit). If you are looking to be inspired by clever, artistic designs or be delighted by unexpected contrasts in colours and textures you will be disappointed here. Perhaps this is how the 0.1 percenters like their luxury: conservative designs in expensive materials presented in a grandiose style. This is not the fault of the furniture, which are perfectly inoffensive, but what chances do they stand if they have to compete against the extravagant space which outshines instead of showcases them?
This may seem like a textbook example of how not to display goods for sale, but let’s not forget RH Paris is designed as a style showcase rather than as a furniture showroom. This may explain why the store also houses multiple restaurants and bars - Le Jardin RH has tables under a spectacular curved glass roof and Le Petit RH is a rooftop restaurant with stupendous views of the Eiffel Tower.
In fact, RH Paris works much better as a place to hang out and to soak up the vibe than as a shop. This is not as outlandish as it sounds. Much of the luxury furniture business is driven by interior design services, where brand aesthetics and customer service is paramount and product selection happens more in front of a computer than on a showroom floor. RH recently opened its first freestanding interior design office in Palm Spring, California. Designed as an office where RH staff can work with interior designers and other customers, the space is barely 3,000 square feet with no furniture on display, yet it generates sales of over USD 1 million per month. Indeed, back at RH Paris, right across the courtyard from the main entrance of the shop is their interior design studio, ready for the real business.
Two very different retail experiences, both equally impressive in their own ways. Our little trip to Paris has thoroughly refreshed our design senses.
For the best in design furniture, from the clever and artistic to the sleek and luxurious, come visit us at www.do-shop.com.
Having visited both, personally whilst "All'Origine" is a very good combo of style + substance .. alas "RH" Parisian lavish HQs on the Champs Élsysées are a classic case of the first over the second.
And despite their various shapes of biscuits colours ... 🍪