Cartier has reopened the doors of its flagship Paris boutique following an extensive two-year renovation. The boutique, at 13 rue de la Paix, draws on the design codes of the original space, which opened in 1899, coinciding with Louis Cartier’s arrival as head of the house.
Original design features – the architectural identity of the building remains, as does the original façade and historical details including decorative mouldings – sit alongside bright and contemporary accents, with a glass roof flooding the six new floors with light.
The boutique itself occupies the ground and first two floors of the building, with the third floor reserved for services for clients and the fourth home to high jewellery workshops. On the fifth and sixth floors, visitors can find the archives, a winter garden, and a space reserved for entertaining and events.
The Moinard Bétaille agency, which has designed Cartier boutiques for more than 20 years, is responsible for the first three levels, with architects Claire Bétaille and Bruno Moinard shifting the focus to an opening up of the space. Guests are invited to explore every area, each with its new identity, discovering the classic motifs from Cartier’s history, which sit alongside new pieces. Separate wood-panelled rooms become a warm home for historic pieces, including Jean Cocteau’s academician sword from the Académie Française and a collection of rare books in the Louis Cartier Salon.
The 18 artisans on the third floor and in the high jewellery workshops of the fourth floor enjoy optimal conditions in an abundance of natural light.
Architects and designers Laurène Barbier Tardrew and Romain Jourdan of Studioparisien agency, responsible for the two floors, marry an elegant aesthetic with modern design and an emphasis on archetypically Parisian design codes, making the city’s skyline, lighting fixtures of the palaces, and Haussmannian interiors central to the design.
On the fifth and top floor, architect Laura Gonzalez celebrates cultural forms in an exploration of technique and craftsmanship, encapsulated in both mosaicist Pierre Mesguich’s branches of glass and mosaic floor of the winter garden, and in the luxury crafts of Laura Gonzalez, Ateliers Gohard and Lucie Touré.
‘From the very beginning, the boutique has been unique because of its universal vocation: its opening in 1899 is associated with the arrival of Louis Cartier at the head of the maison and the establishment of the design studio,’ says Pierre Rainero, director of image, style and heritage at Cartier. ‘As the cradle of major stylistic trends in jewellery, the 13 Paix boutique has always been a source of inspiration for Cartier maisons around the world.’
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