SWATCH
PLACE VENDOME
2010
‘An interior that behaves as a clock, twelve segments, twelve hours, endlessly resetting in response to time, product and place.’
Place Vendôme is synonymous with precision, luxury and spectacle. A context defined as much by its perfect geometry as by its history of jewellery, craft and display, and, occasionally, diamond heists.
The Swatch store responds as a concept specific to this setting. Rather than a generic fit out, the project is conceived as a spatial device, drawing from the qualities of both the diamond and the clock.
The tenancy is small, narrow and inherently constrained. Rather than resist this, the project amplifies it. The store is imagined as a jewel, a condition that reflects, multiplies and refracts, extending perception beyond its physical limits.
In this way, the store becomes an ever changing clock. Not fixed, but continually recalibrating. Lighting, reflection and display can be adjusted to shift the atmosphere of the space, allowing it to respond to seasonal collections, events and the rhythm of the city.
At its centre sits a dodecahedral volume. A twelve sided form that simultaneously references the geometry of a cut stone and the twelve hours of a watch face. Constructed from internally lit one way mirrors, it operates as a kaleidoscopic device, transforming the interior into a shifting field of reflections, light and product.
Display is modular and integrated. Cabinets combine storage, security and presentation within a single system. Mirrored fronts and internal lighting allow each unit to shift between states, from reflective surface to illuminated display, from closed storage to open interaction.
Walls and ceiling are activated as primary display surfaces, freeing the floor and maintaining clarity of movement. Storage is concealed but accessible, allowing the space to remain visually continuous and uncluttered.
The palette is reduced to a small number of materials and components. Variation emerges through light, reflection and product.
The product is the store. The store is the product.
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RETAIL
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COMPETITION WINNER
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PARIS