La Samaritaine in three acts . This endearing Parisian department store that concentrates 150 years of history has reopened to general public on June 23, 2021. An entry into the scene of the “Samar” eagerly awaited! Second section devoted to retail. 2/3.
In the renovated architectural setting, la Samaritaine welcomes new luxury-oriented retail spaces. On each floor, women’s and men’s fashion, beauty, accessories, watchmaking and jewelry are represented. Although the “Samar” has changed course, the experienceshopping promises to be festive and convivial.
Over 20,000 m2, the 600 brands offered by la Samaritaine, mainly concentrated in the Pont-Neuf area, blend into the decor, while the most trendy brands occupy the building on the rue de Rivoli side. Boutiques, corners, capsule collections follow one another on each floor and praise glass, transparency and noble and flashy materials, to extract the quintessence of luxury. The fittings have been entrusted to several interior design agencies. The monumental Art Nouveau and Art Deco style setting was one of the sources of inspiration for the main contributor, the Canadian studio Yabu Pulshelberg, who highlighted the Eiffel structure.
Visitors are invited to browse the Samaritaine department store in a space that has become more fluid and bright with a chic and refined style. On each floor of the Pont-Neuf building, the plunging central view capped by the large glass roof guides him for a unique experience. The meticulous scenographies are revealed in the beauty of their details echoing the architectural envelope: mosaic layout, terrazzo floor, glass panels, precious lightings, carpets and furniture designed and made to measure, heightened with gold leaf . The color codes of the Samaritaine, white, yellow, gray, confirm the strong identity of a modern department store anchored in its time.
Other places set back, more confidential, are dedicated to VIPs. The Apartment and the two private jewelry lounges are designed by the trio of interior designers Chloé Nègre, Karine Chahin and Virginie de Graveron. These cozy lounges play the card of French decoration, associating classic furniture of editor and sometimes diverted antique pieces, in a very Parisian style, exuberant. Continuing the visit, punctuated by renowned luxury brands and special capsule collections, the building on the Rivoli side, meanwhile, breaks with the original architecture. More raw and more modern, it was fitted out by the Ciguë collective, like a loft, and welcomes the fashion brands of young emerging designers. We stroll there in the middle of molded decorative elements, a reminder of the Haussmann style, concrete blocks, works of street art, accompanied by techno music.
But if the Samaritaine is a place to visit absolutely, for the seductive luxury and its remarkable architecture, it has lost the eclecticism of its sales offer both upscale and popular, accessible to all, as the offbeat and emblematic advertising films of the Samar of the 60s, associated with its famous slogan “We find everything at the Samaritaine”!
Anne Swynghedauw
