Throughout its history, French luxury department store group Printemps has opened a number of stores across the world, but all closed. Following a previous, much-publicised store opening in Doha three years ago, this is the retailer’s second foray in a foreign retail market in many years.
Printemps has now secured a 55,000 sq.ft. (5,110 sqm.) location in New York on the premises of a 1960s Art Deco tower in the city’s Financial District. The French retailer has tapped Laura Gonzalez, an acclaimed designer based in the City of Light, to create a fitting interior design, and given the objective to woo a highly discerning customer base, she has pulled out all the stops.
Inspired by Printemps‘ rich legacy, classic materials have been modernised, while new ones were also developed along the way, resulting in a hybrid palette of materials. The settings are undeniably evocative and playful, and gain an additional oomph factor through these materials—traditional oak floors inlaid with natural stone, vintage-looking Art Nouveau tiles flaunting an old Printemps pattern, and faux marble table tops crafted from compressed recycled plastic from the fashion industry.
The new Printemps outpost isn’t so much an upscale department store, but more tightly curated boutique offering alluring merchandise in ten uniquely designed areas. Shoppers enter the premises through an undulating glass entrance on Broadway that opens into the vibrant, multi-coloured marble Playroom, featuring casualwear, gifts and the all-day Café Jalu, named after Printemps founders Jules and Augustine Jaluzot.
Within the fully immersive Sneaker Room can be found, crowned by a ceiling-spanning LED screen. One floor up, by way of escalators, the Salon is situated. Here, wood flooring and floral-patterned carpets and textiles, all inspired by original Printemps designs, serves as a backdrop women’s apparel and accessories, while the Salon Vert, a Parisian-inspired raw bar that overlooks Broadway, is adorned with hand-painted tiles.
The men’s section, aptly dubbed La Garçonnière, is marked by monochromatic patterns and textures, featuring pink moiré wallpaper, soft pink curtains and pastel frescoes, all put in contrast with a light beige concrete and resin beauty corridor just beyond it. The Beauty Corridor connects the building’s original Art Deco tower with its newer annex, opening onto Salle de Bain, the beauty and spa area, and its opulent Boudoir.
