recessed arches and Italian marble flooring add to the luxury inside Duclos — Three types of Italian marble have been arranged to resemble modern-day parquet flooring.

August 17, 2023

Joseph Duclos Arrives in Paris With a Timeless Boutique

Paris seems hard-pressed to need another luxury label. Still, the city has welcomed Joseph Duclos, a high-end boutique carrying a 21st-century collection of handbags and accessories with roots dating to the 18th century, when the brand was first established as a leather tannery in Lectoure and received the imprimatur of Louis XV. Today, thanks to company CEO Franck Dahan and artistic director Ramesh Nair collaborating with French designer Tristan Auer, the premier Joseph Duclos has debuted in a 4,300-square-foot environment that’s as chic as its location, steps from the Palais de l’Élysée.

“Since this is the first shop, I did it as a tailor does a suit,” begins Auer, who’s middle name could easily be luxury, having designed yachts and custom cars as well as recently revamped the Carlton Cannes hotel mere months before the annual film festival rolled out the red carpet. “My responsibility was to let people discover it.” Adds Nair, “It’s important that customers understand the technique,” referring to how each bag is handmade by a single artisan.

Behind the Design of the Joseph Duclos Boutique in Paris

The site, occupying the ground and subgrade floors of a 19th-century building, was the antithesis of its current setting. A former Moschino shop, it was, Nair continues, “like a disco, all chrome and black marble.” Except for the connecting stairway, everything was removed and redesigned.

“The atmosphere is recessive in favor of the merchandise,” Auer says of the main floor’s restrained palette. Marble in three creamy tones creates subtly skewed parquet flooring. A focal table’s oak top mimics the parquet, and fixtures, including glass and chrome vitrines, are minimal allowing “space and air around the bags,” Nair notes. The lightly brushed plaster coating the walls and ceiling references the old buildings of Paris, while decorative beams and arches take inspiration from a centuries-old château in the Loire Valley. A copper-leafed niche draws clientele through the long expanse to a perfume and candle area centered on a Piero Lissoni sofa.

Downstairs offers two experiences. For VIPs, a private room pairs traditional cerused-oak boiserie with furniture of today by Auer and his contemporaries. Down a long corridor is the manufacturing atelier, where a live artisan works leather amid walls of textured ebony plaster. Its cue, Auer says, is a more modern, jet-setting French landmark: Terminal 1 at Aéroport de Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle.

a copper-leafed niche behind a display case — A copper-leafed niche draws customers through the main level.

Walk Through the Joseph Duclos Boutique

Glass cases line the downstairs corridor at the Joseph Duclos boutique.

Diane bags atop a display — In leather and gold-plated hardware, Diane bags are named for a fountain at Lectoure, where the brand was established three centuries ago.

an Italian marble stairway — The existing stairway connecting the store’s main and lower floors is newly appointed in Italian marble.

the storefront of Joseph Duclos — The new storefront is framed in the Joseph Duclos signature color.

the VIP room at Duclos is covered in cerused-oak paneling — Cerused-oak paneling envelops the VIP room, where a custom LED ceiling fixture illuminates the Thierry Lemaire Niko sofa and Icarus table, vintage rug, and custom chair by Tristan Auer.

chrome and glass vitrines in Duclos — Vitrines are chrome and glass.

inside Duclos, with decorative beams and arches — Decorative beams and arches nod to the 16th-century Château de Chenonceau.

an atelier downstairs at the Joseph Duclos store — Textured plaster defines the downstairs atelier, where an artisan works on-site.

the candle/perfume area inside Joseph Duclos — The candle/perfume area features Piero Lissoni’s Extrasoft sofa and custom tables by Auer.

PRODUCT SOURCES:

FROM FRONT:

Thierry Lemaire: Sofa, Table (VIP).
Red Edition: Custom Chair (VIP), Custom Tables (perfume/candle).
living divani: sofa (perfume/candle).

THROUGHOUT:

les marbreries de la seine: marble.
tandem architecture: architect of record.
rdm: general contractor.

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