Display & Design Ideas - December 2008 - (Page 16)

16 snapshots Parisian sophisticate Ladurée brings French polish to Harrods By Mark Faithfull, London Editor or its first international tea salon, Parisian café Ladurée breezed across the English Channel to open in the most British of retail doyens, Harrods Department Store. Ladurée Chairman David Holder went to London on a fact-finding mission and arranged a meeting with the Harrods’ team. “Ladurée’s guiding star would, as if by magic, lead me to the store’s ground floor and a private area, closed to the public, consisting of an incredible 350 sq. meters,” Holder recalls. Holder has a track record in spotting potential. He took over the Ladurée tearoom in the rue Royale, Paris, in 1993, having already been part of the team that created the Paul concept, a mid-priced, high quality Frenchstyle bakery chain. Holder also opened Ladurée on the Champs Elysées, and now the empire includes Geneva; Monaco; Berlin; Lausanne, Switzerland; and Tokyo. Francis Holder, chairman and founder of Groupe Holder, oversaw the design of the Harrods Ladurée establishment. He commissioned Roxane Rodriguez, a gallery owner, interior decorator and expert on the Napoléon III period. F The tearoom comprises different salons, each with its own atmosphere. The boutique salon is fitted out entirely in white marble, with pastries and cakes merchandised by color on a 23-ft.-long counter. The small Neo-Etruscan Salon, situated under the mezzanine, is finished in oak and gray-embossed leather, while on the mezzanine itself The Orange Salon has been designed to resemble a box at the theater. Finally, The Black Salon has an imposing 9-ft., floorto-ceiling height and is in the style of Napoléon III. The ceiling features a plaster-cast cupola inspired by the Château Ferrière, with a painting of Greek god Zeus replete with serpents. Seventy specially produced, oval and round black-framed “witches” mirrors hang on the wall. Ladurée also recently added an outdoor terrace. Back in Paris, to celebrate its 10th anniversary on the Champs Elysées, the company has opened Ladurée Le Bar, an achingly hip and modern space that retains its connection to historical French interiors and which is dedicated to chic drinks and light food. www.ddimagazine.com December 2008 Photos: Courtesy of Ladurée http://www.ddimagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Display & Design Ideas - December 2008

Display & Design Ideas - December 2008
From the Editor
Contents
News Watch
DDI’s Leadership Forum 2008
Consumer insights
Editor’s Choice
Snapshots
Alexander McQueen
Eye On: Luxury
Right Light
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
New York Report
DDI’s NADI Show Preview
New York Retail
New York Restaurants
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Shopping with Paco

Display & Design Ideas - December 2008