RH Paris has opened its doors on the Champs-Élysées, marking the brand’s first design gallery with integrated hospitality concepts in Europe.
Following openings in England, Brussels, Madrid, Munich and Düsseldorf, RH Paris signals the retailer’s continued global expansion and increasing influence as a thought leader, placemaker and international arbiter of taste and style –integrating luxury home furnishing collections from RH Interiors, RH Modern and RH Outdoor with rare art, antiques and artifacts from around the world.
Juxtaposing the entry is a freestanding RH Interior Design Studio. The curved steel and glass structure is home to what has become one of the largest residential design firms in the world with projects on every major continent. A contemporary inlaid brass and white onyx mosaic covers the walls and frames a three-dimensional image of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man and the RH Design Ethos.
Moving through the threshold of RH Paris leads to the Architecture & Design Bibliotheca. Visitors can immerse themselves in rare books from the foundational masters, including Vitruvius, Da Vinci, Palladio, De L’Orme, Blondel and Haussmann. Commanding the centre of the Bibliotheca is one of the first modern printings, circa 1521, of De Architectura, The Ten Books on Architecture by 1st Century BC architect Marcus Vitruvius. His description of a man outstretched within a circle and a square inspired Leonardo da Vinci’s famous drawing, The Vitruvian Man, some 1,500 years after his death.
The Gallery, spanning seven levels, is connected by a soaring atrium of floating cast medallion stairs and a glass elevator that magically appears, then disappears from an invisible shaft atop the rooftop garden. At the centre is a cast bronze Caryatid, circa 1870, attributed to French sculptor Louis-Félix Chabaud, who is renowned for his sculptures at the Louvre and the Palais Garnier opera house. The term caryatid was first recorded in Latin form in De Architectura. Beyond their structural role, caryatids symbolise strength, grace and ingenuity, a harmony between art and engineering. The caryatid was selected as a symbol of not only the retailer’s desire to connect and create harmony between the architecture, design, art, history and hospitality offerings of RH Paris, but also its desire to connect and create harmony between RH and the people of Paris.
On the lower level, ground and first floor, immerse yourself in artistic installations of furniture, antiques, artifacts and art in a gallery setting. Each level features full-floor art exhibits by singular artists and carefully curated pieces not only chosen to furnish homes, but also define them.
At Le Jardin RH, located on the second-floor terrace, visitors can dine under a spectacular curved glass-and-steel structure inspired by the Grand Palais while enjoying a curated menu of American and Mediterranean classics.
On the third floor, discover The World of RH Bar & Lounge, a physical and digital immersion into the places and spaces that define the RH brand while enjoying a glass of wine or a craft cocktail by legendary bartender Colin Field.
At Le Petit RH, dine in a jewel box of champagne lacquered walls with a sparkling ceiling of over seven thousand individually handblown glass polyhedrons, or reserve a table atop one of the most spectacular garden rooftops in all of Paris with views of the Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais and the Pyramid at the Louvre. Le Petit RH features a creative menu of caviar specialties, small plates, signature salads and seafood towers.
