The Art of Design Issue 17 2015 | Page 24

24 La Compagnie Française De L’orient Et De La Chine Opens A New Concept Store On Boulevard Raspail To Celebrate Their 50 Years The Address 10 boulevard Raspail, a mythical address in an elegant Parisian neighbourhood. Flashback: 1935, imagine the first delicatessen shop, "chez Coûté", on the corner of Rue de Grenelle and Boulevard Raspail, close to Bon Marché, replaced after the war by a huge service station. In this space of 300 m2, renovated by architecture firm IMAO, a peaceful universe reigns, with an astute blend of light wood, exotic parquet, columns of glass, a surprising metal mashrabiya, and 50 meters of windows dressed in Chinese shadows in allusion to the meticulous work of the master craftsmen selected by the company. La Compagnie Française De L’orient Et De La Chine : A Story Of Passion... From the beginning there was passion – a family's passion for China: Jacques Dautresme, an unrelenting traveller, was fascinated in the 1930s by the forgotten treasures of the Middle Empire. 50 years ago, his nephew, François, a talented photographer, aesthete and pioneer, decided to give a new lease of life to the ancient savoir-faire of Asia by setting up a concept store ahead of its time.