In the upper area of Paseo de Gracia, a few steps from the previous location, Hermès opens a new house in Barcelona, its fourth store in Spain. It has a spacious two-story design that encompasses 372 square metersplus a large private garden: a patio in the tradition of the urban and outdoor lifestyle of the city. The result is a colourful, contemporary space, a game of the codes of the house French with the Mediterranean Sea, nature and the characteristic Catalan modernist architecture.
Located in a manor house from the end of the 19th century, the store designed by the Parisian architecture studio RDAI is framed by a elegant stucco facade of lime and sand, with restored decorative finishes. The ground floor has two rooms with generous volumes and high ceilings connected by a long gallery. Evoking the organic and sculptural forms of Catalan modernism in the tradition of Antoni Gaudí, the sand-colored stucco walls and white ceilings of the store are drawn with undulating lines and curves that create a sense of movement from the entrance to the back. Underfoot, the mosaic also comes alive with an undulating effect in gradient shades of blue.
The green, indoor garden can be seen from all perspectives, similar to those small oases characteristic of the block patios of L’Eixample in Barcelona, and designed by the Catalan landscaping company Local4. The meeting with the 16 métiers (artisan trades) of the maison begins from the entrance: the gaze travels from the silk collections for women, enlivened by an infinite number of colors, to the fragrance and beauty accessories. To the right are the men’s accessories, which guide the visitor through the gallery past the homeware collections to an intimate corner of jewelery and watches. On both sides of the back room, with floor-to-ceiling windows, are the masculine and feminine universes, each with fitting rooms in colorful shades.
In the center, the métier of leather goods is displayed in custom-made cherry wood cabinets outfitted with reflective panels that enhance the luminosity of this sun-dappled space. From here, doors open onto the patio, which is surrounded by fragrant gardens planted with local flora including citrus and Mediterranean pine, as well as jacaranda and magnolia trees and bright bouquets of bougainvillea.
From the entrance, an extravagant color palette is displayed, ranging from Mediterranean tones of azure blue and sea green with touches of orange and electric pink. Color is used to outline each space, such as the bright blue lacquered cabinets that display jewelery and watches, and an array of hand-woven mohair rugs in gradient colors that frame the men’s and women’s ready-to-wear universes. . The essence of Hermès is also present in the Ex Libris signature, in the lighting of the Grecques glass globes at the entrance, as well as the faubourg mosaic in shades of midnight blue with blood orange tesserae.
Upstairs is a private lounge with details of the original design, retained during the renovation and reinstated in this first-floor gallery. Among them, the original stained glass windows of the modernist Antoni Rigalt i Blanch, depicting an evocative and flowery scene in the Japanese style. On the floor, the Nolla ceramic mosaics of the original heritage have been restored. The store is dotted with contemporary artwork by Canadian photographer Amy Friend and pop pieces by Irishman Richard Gorman, mixed with the Émile Hermès collection.
