Maison Rabih Kairouz

 

Beirut, 2010

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The remit for this project was to transform an echoing, industrial interior into an enticing, welcoming space fit for the display of items of haute couture. Presented with a blank slate, in this case the rough, concrete interior of a former warehouse in the port district of Beirut, we first set about creating a luxurious shell by introducing a false ceiling of white painted perforated metal sheets and numerous door-like sycamore panels, which served as a way of disguising everything technical; toilets, changing rooms, the till, storage areas and office space. The final result was the creation of soaring mezzanine boutique that resembled both an elegant jewellery box and, thanks to the panels, a giant walk-in wardrobe, a boudoir on a colossal scale. Or rather a giant walk-down boudoir, for the street entrance was higher than the shop floor and the simple staircase customers are required to navigate, heightens the impression of arrival and, of course, of being the most important person in the room. Our point of departure (one shared by the designer himself) was the aesthetic of the 1930’s and in particular of Eileen Gray, an Irish furniture designer and architect who was deeply influential in the creation of Art Deco and Modernist aesthetic. We were responsible not only for the interior architecture but also for the shop sign – a simple brass lettered affair, again reminiscent of the 1930’s – and the creation of the furniture and fixtures used in the store, from the clothes rails and coat-hangers (each hand-wrapped in ribbon and stamped with the designer’s initials) to the display tables. We also chose all light fixtures. The simple colour scheme, the white of the sycamore wood, as well as burgundy and dark grey details that is used on the clothes rails, is repeated throughout the store resulting in the most complete expression of our aesthetic ethos to date.

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Project assistant: Guilaine Elias 
Photo credit: Nadim Asfar

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