«Geometric shapes evoke the technique of ‘guillochage’, using metal to turn and push patterns into an underlying material to engrave them into it», says Bruno Moinard and Claire Bétaille
Bruno Moinard and Claire Bétaille
The duo composed of Bruno Moinard and Claire Bétaille have been working closely with the Cartier house for over twenty years and defined this milestone building in their collaboration both as «the last one in some way, but also the first one. This building is the matrix for all the future shops we will hopefully design together. We used this building as a laboratory for proposing concepts, but also for diving once again into Cartier’s brand history, and archive drawings. The DNA of the brand is also associated with ours and this is a milestone in our ongoing collaboration».
Cartier expands the concept of a flagship store
Organizing around an internal courtyard, the building includes a boutique, workshops, archives, a winter garden, and gathering rooms. The building’s spatial and functional organization expands the concept of a flagship store. Researchers Tony Kent and Reva Brown characterized flagship stores as «languages of special places which are an access point for cross-disciplinary learning about society, consumption, and the environment».
The French architects expressed similar hopes for Cartier’s flagship store. «It should not look like a boutique anymore. Our hope is that this building grows as a place that people can appropriate even slightly. This space is intended to give visitors the feeling of entering a place that can receive their emotions. Most of the time when you enter such a place, it is during a special and important event of your life».
The references to Cartier’s iconography with tailored artisanal craftsmanship
Bétaille stressed, «the visitors will be welcomed both by the team and the care we have taken in crafting the story. This references to Cartier’s iconography with tailored artisanal craftsmanship at Cartier 13 Paix». A number of French artisans of excellence were involved in the project. This includes the Ateliers of Pierre Bonnefille for decorative panels, Étienne Rayssac for plaster reliefs, Lucie Touré for embroidery, painted screens by the Godard workshops, and Lison of Caunes for straw panels.
«These craftswomen and men are our life. Those are the people we spend the majority of our time with, working every day on the materiality of each detail. We know them well. We know their talent and their hands. The process starts with us coming to them with an idea or request and moving to a phase of development together. It takes hours of careful hand work to achieve such results».
Atelier’s working together, achieving craftsmanship savoir-faire
At the entrance, visitors are greeted by an intricate wall. This wall is a combination of straw, marquetry, and small pieces of glass. «There are different meanings and know-hows behind this, which may not be apparent at first. In this wall, the geometric shapes evoke the technique of ‘guillochage’, which involves using metal to turn and push patterns into an underlying material to engrave them into it», Bétaille states. ‘Guillochage’ is often used on the back of watches. «Through geometry, the combination of materials expresses the furry pelage of the iconic Cartier panther. The faceted polygons of the glass pieces enter in dialogue with the intricate marquetry work. To achieve such craftsmanship savoir-faire, we brought together different atelier’s to work together».
Moinard added «when visitors enter the store, we hope they will feel the warmth and catching light that hits the materiality of these details. We designed the building in a way to offer little surprises along the way to the visitors. Some might enjoy passing through the green salon as if they entered Jeanne Toussaint’s crocodile skin designs. Others might enjoy passing by the Art Deco Salone».
Thirty-seven jewelry-making artisans experts at Cartier 13 Paix
These crafting details will also be the backdrop to thirty-seven jewelry-making artisans experts that will use the last floor as a workshop space. The shared upper floors will be dedicated to Cartier’s savoir faire actors from designers, watchmakers, jewellers, gem-setters, polishers and gem-cutters.Bétaille added, «this building is the matrix, it is not a restrained static museum setting but rather a living space where visitors and Cartier teams will have the opportunity to will act either visually or directly in the shared spaces».
The Cartier archive: jewels
Jewels displayed in the store are further enhanced and sublimated by the subtle references to the Cartier archive. Bétaille explained «one of the challenges for us is having the jewels as the first element that appears to the visitor’s eye. As most Cartier pieces are small and delicate, understanding how to perfectly reflect the jewels becomes a question of scale. As these pieces are not large leather goods or clothing, we put attention to detail while remembering that the jewels should be the first thing that catches your eye. Then if visitors stay long enough, they can take in the architecture and delicate craftsmanship as well».
Moinard added «In the historical salon, the walls are covered with ancient boiserie that were already present before our intervention. We transformed these boiserie by applying a gradient paint referencing a mother-of-pearl texture. This work on the boiserie created a foggy backdrop, a cloud that landed in the room. The jewelry piece appears floating in this cloud».
These nesting scenes for the jewels also appear on the upper floor. Here frosted glass columns are used to display the jewels «floating in a magical way. These crafting details are what we call our ‘architectural tricot’, a careful knitting of atmospheres and settings that work around the jewels. While we always imagine spaces as architectural plans and flows, we also visualise the building as a volume that has already a color, texture, and hosts a series of atmospheres just like this one», Bétaille stated.
Claire Bétaille and Bruno Moinard: it begins with a drawing
This architectural knitting is first seen in the initial concept drawings developed by the French duo in their office. «Drawings are our first connections with a space, it all begins with a drawing. Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) has become common, but we believe it does not leave room for imagination. Starting with a sketch allows us to test people, get a reaction or a comment, which is constructive. Drawings allow us to look at our initial ideas and in the process build on the strengths of the sketches. These are also the sketches we share with the artisans as initial ideas».
The ties between Paris, Place Vendôme and figures of the city
There is a tie between this weaving of atmospheres, details and volumes and the city of Paris, the nearby Place Vendôme, and some figures of the city. Bétaille explains «we restored the simple black-marble facade but could not change much at Cartier 13 Paix. A such, we concentrated on making the windows more porous. From the street, it felt like a bunker before, you could not see the life that was happening inside the building. We wanted to create a relation between both the inside and the outside, to filter, to allow natural light to enter in, and allow for the possibility of seeing silhouettes of people working and visiting the building from outside».
The Cocteau Salon
One of the preferred spaces within this building of the French duo is the Cocteau Salon. This space is a metaphor for Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bête (1946) film. It traces back the history of both Cocteau and Louis Cartier. In 1924 Cartier designed the Trinity ring and Cocteau adopted it. Their collaboration expanded with movies and even the academician’s word. Moinard added, «the way the pieces are displayed opens up the boutique to the world of cinema. It is this diversity of feelings that can happen in a space like this».
Cartier 13 Rue de la Paix
Cartier has reopened its Parisian flagship store at 13 Rue de la Paix. It was in this edifice that Louis Cartier in 1889 conceived the house’s style and identity. To work on the revamping of the store, they have used their long-time partners. This includes Moinard/Bétaille, Studioparisien and Laura Gonzales.
