IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 14

SUM OF ITS PARTS |

Adding Up Design Elements

BRASS + PINK
+ CULTURAL
TIES make the
perfect palette
for this Parisian
jewelry store.

Pink was one of the main client
requests for the design of
Nuun Jewels. To keep the feel
sophisticated, however, the
designers used indirect lighting to
create soft touches of the color.

W

When jewelry designer Nourah Al Faisal approached French studios
Brunoir and Java Architecture to design the interior of her new
750-square-foot boutique Nuun Jewels in Paris, France, she had one
requirement: "A lot of pink and a lot of gold were the main client
requests," says designer Florian Levy, one of Java Architecture's
founders. "But it's already a jewelry shop-you don't want to
compete visually." To craft a timeless interior that showcases the
jewelry, the teams deployed a sophisticated blend of elements.

A TOUCH OF BRASS

A PASSION FOR PINK

Nearly two years ago, Brunoir designed a
window display at the Four Seasons Hotel
George V in Paris to promote Nuun. The
display was inspired by Renaissance-era
cabinets of curiosities and used a mix of
brass, pastel pink, and white paper. "We
knew immediately we wanted to keep
the brass consistent to link it to that
earlier window," says Brunoir co-founder
Jennifer Bongibault.
In the new boutique, brass makes a
comeback: Brass overhead lamps, display
frames, and shelves all provide brand
cohesion. Brass-toned mirrors along the
back wall help the slim footprint feel more
expansive. "Subtle touches of brass here and
there create a sense of sparkling gold speckled
throughout the shop," Bongibault says.

The client craved "pink, pink, and more
pink," Levy says. The design team worried
that a strong pink might lack sophistication,
so they aimed for a more subtle approach. At
first glance, two of the boutique's walls seem
white, and two appear soft pink. In fact, all
four share the same shade of white.
"There's no element that's directly pink
in the shop," says Brunoir co-founder Jeanne
Boujenah. "Instead, it's integrated into the
lights, so it has a more diffused effect."
The designers arranged several jewelry
cases along one feature wall. In front of
those cases, they erected several pinkbacked panels to hold smaller cases. As
indirect light hits the arched panels, it
diffuses onto the wall, creating a dappled
pastel pink effect.

14

perspective

iida.org/perspective

MIDDLE EASTERN
ROOTS
For as much as the space exudes Paris-
the tiny footprint, the wooden floors, the
oversized front windows-Al Faisal wanted
the shop to include a nod to Saudi Arabia,
where she grew up. "We decided to use
curves with the traditional architecture
to make the visual link from Paris to the
Middle East," says Levy. Curves, as opposed
to right angles, are a common element in
Middle Eastern architecture.
Curved blue and pink velvet chairs provide
the only seating. And the arched panels of the
feature wall extend to the ceiling, creating
a double-skin interior that juxtaposes the
wall's crisp corners. The result is a space that's
personal to the owner and universal in its
visual appeal.

Photos by: ©Alexandra Mocanu

By | Kate Rockwood

Brunoir
designed
this window
display to
promote
Nuun Jewels.
The display
includes a mix
of brass, pink,
and white
paper.
http://www.iida.org/perspective
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