Aesop Avenue des Ternes by Jakob Sprenger

Home » People » Aesop Avenue des Ternes by Jakob Sprenger

Aesop Avenue des Ternes by Jakob Sprenger

DESIGN

Jakob Sprenger

PHOTOGRAPHY

Ludovic Balay, courtesy of Aesop

WORDS

Sophie Lewis

aesop Global Interiors Jakob Sprenger paris Retail Design

A new Aesop store in Paris designed by a long-time collaborator unfolds around four antique finds.

Swiss-based Austrian architect Jakob Sprenger has cultivated a portfolio of high-end retail spaces over the past five years, collaborating with Aesop on stores such as Rome and Salzburg. This took the architect to the 17th arrondissement of Paris, where an antique discovery became the design catalyst for the brand’s new Avenue des Ternes store.

Sprenger uncovered four ceiling medallions from the palatial Hôtel de la Guillonnière, demolished in 1923, that hadn’t seen the light of day for 101 years. The design evolved from these ceiling medallions, resulting in a space that feels like it has always been there, with an inherently tactile, ‘preordained quality’.

Aesop Avenue des Ternes features four ceiling medallions recovered from the palatial Hôtel de la Guillonnière, demolished in 1923.

The sculptural island with basin is the store’s ‘nucleus’, where customers are invited to explore the skin, hair, body, and home products.

The ‘Fragrance Armoire’ houses Aesop’s Eaux de Parfum.

The burgundy lacquer ‘nook’ is where customers can purchase products.

Sprenger introduced a brand new façade to replace the 1990s glass box-style exterior, which he says did not respect the building’s integrity. “We demolished and rebuilt it in a way that respects the surroundings and elevates not only the building but also the street and urban environment,” he says. The textile awnings and lacquered panelling hint at the palette within, while the façade also features a plinth clad in lutecian sandstone.

When entering the space, the eye is immediately drawn to the burgundy lacquer ‘nook’ at the rear, framed by wall panelling in the same saturated hue. The accent colour and texture also characterise the store’s shelving, joinery, and bay windows with upholstered seating.

The store’s triangular layout made way for two sections: the ‘nook’ with a counter for purchasing products and the primary sales area for sampling Aesop products. The island’s organic form and soft edges offset the triangle’s corners, encouraging fluid movement around the central basin. Above, three medallions are positioned within a large elliptical cut-out, emphasising their design significance, with one on the adjacent wall. The traditional French hexagon terracotta tiles throughout also enhance the lived-in, residential atmosphere the architect set out to create.

Sprenger attributes his design approach to the German term ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’, which refers to using different art forms to create a cohesive whole. This can be seen through the distinctive elements that come together in harmonious dialogue to shape Aesop Avenue des Ternes.