The iconic Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris, home to many an upscale boutique and museum, is now also home to footwear Birkenstock, with the recent opening of its cosy and considered showroom.
Named after the year of the brand’s founding, Birkenstock 1774 is set in a Haussmann-style apartment – referencing the era of Napoleon III, Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew, who enlisted the prefect Georges-Eugène Haussmann to renovate the city of Paris.
Natural light, panelled white walls, stone fireplaces, and parquet flooring fill the abode, replete with a motif of warm wood and lived-in leather.
Tasked with the interiors, the creative consultancy and studio Vinson & Co – founded by Nick Vinson, the Wallpaper* magazine editor and columnist also known as Picky Nicky – curated a selection of new and vintage furnishings for the various rooms of the house, on which pairs of the footwear’s 1774 collection are displayed.
An oak table by Philipp Mainzer anchors what appears to be a living-dining space by the fireplace, surrounded by Cab chairs designed by Mario Bellini.
In another room, a quartet of plywood Medea chairs by Vittorio Nobili from the 1950s surround a smaller oak table.
More footwear perch upon a Lungangolo bookshelf and a folding glass-and-oak trolley by Achille Castiglioni; Tri-Angle stools by Aldo Bakker; and Cleft Oak benches by Simon Hasan.
The apartment is also furnished with an iconic 1954 Pierre Jeanneret armchair; ceramics by Swiss ceramicist Margit Linck as well as from Anaphi; and wrap vases and boiled leather vases by Simon Hasan.
Lighting throughout is by Carl Auböck and J.T Kalmar, from the 1950s.
The home is also accented with lithographs by Hans Hartung and Edoardo Chillida, trays by Michaël Verheyden, tableware from John Pawson, cutlery by David Mellor, and specially commissioned art panels by Geraldine Larkin, a London-based embroider whose pieces, made with jute and felt, serve as thoughtful references to the iconic footwear.
Photography by Depasquale+Maffini
See more: How to Decorate Your Home Like a Luxury Leather Maison
