Jouin Manku designs a new Parisian showcase for the High Jewelry Maison Van Cleef & Arpels at 20 Place Vendôme, Paris.

Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku draw on traditional skills and cutting-edge technology for their take on a typically Parisian interior, inspired by the Place Vendôme.The designers selected Paris limestone as their material, treating it as Van Cleef & Arpels’ craftsmen might, starting with a stone and working it up into a design, full of poetry, movement, subtlety and fi nesse.

Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku’s work is often characterised by a majestic stair. A staircase can give a space a theatrical dimension, and invites further exploration. The stair sets the tone for this new project. The stair is made of seven large blocks of numerical milled stone, pierced down the middle. A cable suspended through the centre lends the structure rigidity, like a spinal column.The handrail, meanwhile, gives the stair its presence: made in wrought-iron, another typically Parisian material, its design is inspired by the wings of a butterfly.Despite the solidity of the material, the structure has an incredible lightness.Delicacy and transparency, an impression of movement… these are the ideas that informed the design of this unique piece.

Upstairs, to balance the mineral presence of the stone and wrought iron, Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku have used a palette of colours from grey to beige, to a subtle sea green. Display cases and ceilings are decorated with a scattering of plant motifs carved in plaster or stone.The same design is embroidered on the fabrics that cover certain walls and ceilings, a reference to the natural forms that inspire Van Cleef & Arpels’ designs. The series of salons on this upper level align with the arched windows that give impressive views over the Place Vendôme and its column.

The surrounds of these windows are decorated with a relief-work tangle of rustling leaves, filled with butterflies, birds and stars. There is no better light than daylight for appreciating the purity of gemstones, making these salons the ideal private environment for presenting exceptional pieces of jewellery.