Aesop Saint Honoré

This distinctive skin, hair and body care company, founded in Melbourne in 1987, opened its second Paris store in September 2010 at 256, rue Saint Honoré, close to Palais Royal. Aesop is renowned for its unique store interiors, each one of which is designed with the local surroundings in mind. Rue Saint-Honoré store has been designed by Rodney Eggleston of Melbourne’s March Studio with Dennis Paphitis. ‘We wanted to explore inhabiting the space with one material, used in one encompassing way. We envisaged using cut wood in such a fashion that it covered the floor, walls and ceiling, lending a cohesive texture and warmth to the room.’ Says Eggleston. The wood of choice for this store is Victorian Ash, a timber grown in renewable forests across Australia. The wood was cut in a factory in Melbourne’s inner-city suburb Richmond, then each of the approximately 3500 pieces was hand-cut, hand-sanded, sealed and numbered according to meticulously drafted plans before being strategically packed in shipping crates.