An aluminium foam staircase?

How can you stand out from Cartier, Jaubalet and Boucheron? The innovative use of materials and a three level customer experience optimize retail space at Repossi Paris.

An aluminium foam staircase doglegs up the centre of Italian jewellery brand Repossi’s flagship store, designed by architecture firm OMA on Paris’ exclusive Place Vendôme.

Repossi’s new 90-square-metre shop sits beside fellow jewellers Cartier, Jaubalet and Boucheron, on one of the most expensive retail locations in Europe.

To ensure the space stands out from its neighbours, the team used materials not typically found in traditional jewellery boutiques. These include tinted mirrors that give different degrees of reflection and colour refraction, and aluminium foam.

 

The ground floor features a three-sided rotating billboard that presents a bronze-coloured mirror, a traditional mirror, and a display system at intervals. A gallery on the first floor allows customers to browse Repossi’s collection at a more leisurely pace. In the basement, a salon space provides an area for appointments and customisation services.

Rotterdam-based OMA, has a portfolio of retail projects that includes stores for Coach, Prada and Maison Ullens.

Photography is by Cyrille Weiner, courtesy of Repossi.