Henry Jacques’s artistic director Christophe Tollemer lends his magic touch to the maison’s first stand‑alone Parisian boutique, establishing an old-world-meets-modern-luxury design aesthetic
Imagine this: a French haute parfumerie brand with international locations launching its only stand‑alone boutique in its home country nearly half a century after its founding in 1975. That’s Henry Jacques for you. The reason for this extreme delay in securing a location is simple: its first boutique in Paris had to be perfect. True enough, it is. The new boutique is not only located just off Champs‑Élysées, at the start of the iconic Avenue Montaigne, but also boasts a rare feature: its very own private garden.
The boutique opened its doors this May and Tatler Singapore was given a private tour of the exquisite space the following month. Henry Jacques’s chief executive Anne‑Lise Cremona played tour guide, sharing details about the design elements of the duplex boutique.
Upon entering the 400-square-metre space, one is greeted by a black monogrammed island topped by a glass display cabinet that proudly showcases some 70 iconic Henry Jacques perfumes.
The person behind the boutique’s old‑world‑meets‑modern‑luxury aesthetic is none other than the maison’s artistic director, renowned interior designer Christophe Tollemer, who is also responsible for the designs of the house’s crystal flacons, including those of the Les Classiques collection.
“I prefer using the word ‘home’ rather than ‘boutique’ because it really is a place where you want to find yourself,” Tollemer says. “The same codes as in the other Henry Jacques boutiques can be found here, but we’ve pushed it a step further.”
Although Cremona has always dreamed of having a garden as part of the boutique in France, no design brief was given to Tollemer. “It was [the] first and foremost respect and trust given to me by the Henry Jacques family,” he shares.
A spiral staircase leads down to the basement and the Les Classiques space, which showcases the maison’s range of 50 classic fragrances in backlit niches carved into the wall.
Read more: Henry Jacques Pushes Boundaries With a Limited‑Edition Collection
Here, guests are invited to discover each one’s olfactory notes by using their mobile phones to scan the NFC tags attached to the bottles. Should they wish to create personalised scents, they can do so at the boutique’s dedicated lounge, where the maison’s experts will guide them through the process.
It is clear, though, that the highlight of this new space is its garden in front, which has pathways leading to the boutique’s entrance. As Tollemer says, it is a true perfumer’s garden, with flowers that transform every season and whose essences can be found in some Henry Jacques perfumes.
The next time you need some peace amid the chaos of shopping in Paris, step through the private garden of maison Henry Jacques and enter a fragrant world that promises to instantly soothe the senses.