Beauty spot: cult Paris apothecary Buly 1803 opens in Hong Kong
Parisian apothecary Buly 1803 has opened its first store in Hong Kong, in a snug new space on Wyndham Street. The brand, a revival of the historic perfume apothecary originally founded by Jean-Vincent Bully in 1803, was created in 2014 by Victoire de Taillac-Touhami and Ramdane Touhami who were inspired by 19th-century beauty secrets and ancient recipes, based on natural ingredients.
The couple’s local partner, Arnault Castel – the founder of the Kapok concept stores – was the first to spot the narrow 70 sq m location sporting unusual 5m high ceilings. ‘It is extremely small but our French carpenter hand-made floor-to-ceiling walnut cabinets to look just like they came from an ancient apothecary, so it feels like stepping into a small, historic chapel,’ Castel says. ‘We nicknamed it Charlotte because it reminds us of the French cake with “ladyfinger” biscuits.’
The artisan look, further emphasised with decorative mouldings and vintage Italian clay floor tiles, is fitting considering Buly’s hallmarks: water-based perfumes, scented matches and candles, vegetable oils, aromatic creams and powders, most of which is formulated and bottled in France, in distinctive traditional glass or aluminium packaging. Keeping with its headquarters in Paris, laboratory-clad staff trained in the art of origata and calligraphy personalise each purchase.
‘We wanted to go beyond the usual idea of a boutique in Hong Kong,’ explains de Taillac-Touhami. ‘If someone visits us, it has to be a memorable experience.’ The store’s unconventional aesthetic is, however, unusual given the city’s notorious property market. ‘Sometimes success brings a doubling – or more – of rent so just in case, our interiors are moveable. The only problem would be finding such high ceilings again,’ says Castel.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Buly 1803 website
ADDRESS
L’Officine Universelle Buly
G/F 20 Wyndham Street
Central
Hong Kong
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Catherine Shaw is a writer, editor and consultant specialising in architecture and design. She has written and contributed to over ten books, including award-winning monographs on art collector and designer Alan Chan, and on architect William Lim's Asian design philosophy. She has also authored books on architect André Fu, on Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu, and on Beijing-based OPEN Architecture's most significant cultural projects across China.
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