Flair Magazine By Hend Seif El Din
According to Lavoine, the duo worked โfrom Japanese-inspired mood boards,โ opting for natural woods and light hues to bring the brandโalong with its travel, savoir-fair and craftsmanship connotationsโback to life. Founded in 1989 by Laurent Dumas, โthe CFOC was literally a sleeping beauty [โฆ] an institution that just needed to be reawakened,โ according to Schmidt.
With respect to the interior designing of the space, he adds, โwe put the accent on pureness, on a Japanese nuance rather than on a Chinese one, based on highly-sophisticated yet raw materials.โ
In the words of Dumas, the goal was to create and design โa concept store that will promote art de vivre, the art of living, in the broad sense.โ He further adds, โfor the CFOC, this means preserving a savoir-faire that is rare or that is on the verge of disappearing by incorporating it into contemporary art de vivre,โ allowing consumers to discover affordable luxury, and establishing the latter in major cities. In order to promote this slowly diminishing concept, the premises, as well as the packaging and representation had to be revamped, in order to shed light on the uniqueness and beauty of the โsavoir-faire.โ
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With natural hues, authentic materials, and unique embroidery lying at the essence of the CFOCโs latest collection, the concept store boasts an impressive collection of refined linens, tableware, decorative items and furniture. With lots of wooden furnitureโdesigned and created by Asian and European furniture designers, lacquered timeless pieces with a contemporary twist, blown glass items, ceramic vases, and elegantly simple tableware with cherry blossom motifs and Zen lines, the true savoir-faire feel, laced with contemporary art de vivre, truly comes to life on the Boulevard Haussman.
