In the Cour Jardin of the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris, France, Univers Uchronia has unveiled Daybed, a large-scale installation that reinterprets the hotel’s garden through materiality, color, and form. The temporary work, on view until 11th November, 2025, functions as both sculptural object and inhabitable space, establishing a dialogue between contemporary design and the historic setting of the Plaza Athénée.

At the center of the project is a ceramic surface designed in collaboration with Dutch brand Palet. The installation is clad in Palet’s glazed tiles, whose dimensions (149 x 149 mm) and color flexibility formed the basis for Uchronia’s architectural composition. The palette, dominated by greens and reds, references the hotel’s signature tones, including the red geraniums that line the Cour Jardin. Produced in the Netherlands, each tile is glazed to order from Palet’s library of more than 100 colors, which can be combined into over 300,000 possible variations. The reflective surface changes character under different light conditions, giving the installation a shifting visual presence throughout the day.

all images by Felix Dol Maillot

Uchronia’s Daybed Combines Ceramics, Textiles, and Furnishings

The ceramic assembly by creative studio Univers Uchronia is complemented by additional crafted elements: a custom-designed headboard by Treca, bed linens by Le Jacquard Français, floral curtains and cushions by Misia, and painted finishes by Seigneurie. Together, these components extend the project beyond surface design, integrating textiles and furnishings into a cohesive environment.

Palet, founded in 2021 by Jaap Giesen, Gilles de Brock, and Niels Monsieurs, operates at the intersection of digital design and ceramic craftsmanship. Its platform allows designers and clients to configure bespoke color and pattern combinations at varying scales, bridging industrial repeatability with artisanal variation. The collaboration with Univers Uchronia continues a partnership that has evolved from small-scale interiors to more ambitious site-specific installations. Daybed at the Plaza Athénée exemplifies this ongoing exchange, presenting ceramic tile as both material and medium for architectural experimentation within a public-facing context.

Daybed installation in the Cour Jardin of Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris

Univers Uchronia reinterprets the garden through form, colour, and material

the installation functions as both sculpture and inhabitable space

textiles, floral curtains, and cushions enhance the composition

Palet’s glazed ceramic tiles form the surface of the installation

greens and reds echo the hotel’s iconic geraniums and palette

the reflective ceramic surface shifts character with changing light

Uchronia and Palet’s collaboration extends from interiors to large-scale work

Daybed explores ceramic tile as both material and medium of architecture

project info:

name: Daybed
designer: Uchronia | @uchronia_world

location: Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris, France

photographer: Felix Dol Maillot | @felixdolmaillot

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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ABRA is a Parisian patisserie, conceived by chef Tal Spiegel, with a vibrant interior designed by Ron From with architect Nicolas Frances. The material and color palette draw on Bauhaus and modernist precedents. Ron From clads surfaces in wood and combines it with strong accents in primary blue, red, and yellow, creating a contrast between warmth and graphic clarity. The patterned tile floor introduces repetition and depth, while shelves along the wall display prints and geometric objects that align the project with ideas of modularity and composition.

The project establishes this conceptual framework through a deliberate division of space and shifts away from the conventions of display, where windows are usually filled with rows of ornate cakes, and instead reduces the focus to a series of singular objects. Each pastry is positioned to be read almost as a prototype, inviting comparison with design processes rather than with culinary excess. 

images by François Fonty, unless stated otherwise

The shop frames the journey from kitchen to street

Located on Rue des Mauvais Garçons in Paris, ABRA pastry shop is organized in two clear zones, divided into a compact retail space at the street front and a working kitchen behind the partition. Ron From and Nicolas Frances install a semicircular aperture between the two spaces that acts as both window and frame, allowing the pastries to remain visible, while the display surface directly beneath acts as a threshold between making and consuming. 

The overall impression is of a space that treats food and design as parts of the same process. The shop is small but carefully structured, with the openness of the glazed facade to the street on one side and the framed view of the kitchen on the other.

ABRA is a Parisian patisserie, conceived by chef Tal Spiegel

color, material, and process shape the visitor’s experience

Bauhaus and modernist references are legible in the restricted palette of primary blue, red, and yellow, which is layered against a white backdrop, warm wood cabinetry, and metal details. Geometric repetition in the patterned tiles underfoot and the framed graphics on the wall lends the room a rhythm and creates a space that feels warm and inviting but that also sparks curiosity. 

The street view roots the project in the city, while the open lab window invites visitors to peek behind the scenes. It’s a place where one can enjoy pastries but also explore how they’re made and what they mean.

the interior is organized in two clear zones

a semicircular aperture between the two spaces acts as both window and frame

edible studies in form, color, and proportion | image by Nathanaël Djimbilth

bauhaus and modernist references are legible in the restricted palette of primary blue, red, and yellow

shelves along the wall display prints and geometric objects

each pastry takes on a graphic, geometric composition | image by Nathanaël Djimbilth

the visual identity of ABRA aligns with the ideas of modularity and composition

pops of color are layered against a white backdrop, warm wood cabinetry, and metal details

Ron From clads surfaces in warm wood

the patterned tile floor introduces repetition and depth

brand identity and interior design are unified through a cohesive color palette | image by Florian Domergue

the overall impression is of a space that treats food and design as parts of the same process

the shop is small but carefully structured

blue, yellow and red details complete the facade

located on Rue des Mauvais Garçons in Paris

project info:

name: ABRA patisserie | @abra.patisserie.paris

location: 1 Rue des Mauvais Garçons. Paris, France

concept & chef: Tal Spiegel | @tal.spiegel

interior design: Ron From | @ronfrom

architect: Nicolas Frances | @icnos_architecture

studio design: Roof Studio | @roof_studio_telaviv

boutique photographer: François Fonty | @Francoisfonty

cake photographer: Nathanaël Djimbilth | @aeternopraesenti

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Hidden behind the bustling streets of Paris, the Hôtel de Pourtalès is a former private mansion that has been transformed into a secluded luxury apartment hotel. Once a private townhouse built by architect Félix Duban for Swiss-born banker and art collector Count James-Alexandre de Pourtalès in 1839, this neoclassical building has been reimagined as a luxury destination for those who value privacy and design. Since 2002, the building has been listed as an official historical monument with every contemporary intervention carefully balanced to preserve its aristocratic soul. For designboom, a stay during Paris Design Week offered an intimate perspective on this unique transformation, showcasing a new vision on hospitality.

all images courtesy of ​​Hôtel de Pourtalès

THE PERFECT DESTINATION FOR A LUXURY STAY IN PARIS

With its discreet charm, tasteful décor, and prime location near the Champs-Élysées, a stay at the Hôtel de Pourtalès serves as a key anchor for an on-the-ground exploration of Parisian design culture. The hotel‘s historical inspiration draws on a Renaissance Revival style, making it a perfect example of the fusion of heritage and modernity celebrated during Paris Design Week. Founded on the idea of privacy, the Parisian establishment offers a new experience — more confidential than a guest house or luxury hotel.

founded on the idea of privacy, the hotel presents a new vision on hospitality

NINE PRIVATE SUITES AT HÔTEL DE POURTALÈS

The hotel’s design is a masterclass in creative tension, a subtle combination of its classical roots with a contemporary and avant-garde vision. The renovation, led by Studio Labaye Sumi, preserved the DNA of the building — from its intricate cornices to its vaulted arches — while introducing contemporary additions. This creates an aesthetic coherence between the two contrasting expressions, transforming the space into a dynamic experience where historical grandeur and modern comfort coexist. 

The design team’s aim was simple yet profound: to create the impression of a home. Each of the nine private suites is designed as an exceptional living space, far more intimate and confidential than a guest house or luxury hotel. They redefine hospitality as a highly personalized, residential experience. Iconic pieces by Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier, and Gerrit Rietveld are thoughtfully positioned with creations from a new generation of French designers, such as Garnier & Linker. The studio also designed a custom line of furniture, with marble and metal pieces created in collaboration with renowned specialists.

the former private mansion that has been transformed into a luxury apartment hotel

Guests find themselves in apartments complete with private kitchens, spacious lounges, and dining rooms, with some even boasting a planted terrace or a rooftop with an enviable view of the capital. With suites ranging in size from 95 to 367m² spread across seven floors, the hotel offers an incredible diversity of volumes, all with its own specific decor, furniture, fabrics, and color palette. The Hôtel de Pourtalès also reveals a profound passion for contemporary art, turning the residence into a curated, private gallery. This artistic vision, combined with the refined service and discreet charm, ensures a stay that creates a timeless and intimate home-away-from-home experience.

the hotel combines its classical roots with a contemporary vision

the suites range in size from 95 to 367m²

the apartments are completed with private kitchens, spacious lounges, and dining rooms

spread across seven floors, the hotel offers an incredible diversity of volumes

the goal was to create the impression of a home

at Hôtel de Pourtalès historical grandeur and modern comfort coexist

each of the nine private suites is far more intimate than a guest house or luxury hotel

each apartment owns specific decor, furniture, fabrics, and color palette

some suites even boasts a planted terrace or a rooftop with an enviable view of the capital

Hôtel de Pourtalès redefines hospitality as a highly personalized, residential experience

since 2002, the building has been listed as an official historical monument

project info:

name: Hôtel de Pourtalès | @hoteldepourtales

location: Paris, France

design team: Studio Labaye Sumi | @labayesumistudio

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Studio Vincent Eschalier completes the renovation of a 17th-century building near the Grand Rex in Paris to serve as the new headquarters for consulting firm SIA Partners. The renovation spans 3,000 square meters across five floors and a basement. On the street side, the original facades are restored to align with the character of the Grands Boulevards, while the commercial ground floor was redefined with new dark granite cladding. Inside, the layout was opened up to create flexible work environments. Exposed technical elements on the ceiling are painted white to reduce visual contrast, and many walls are deliberately left unfinished, revealing texture and construction traces.

all images by J.P. Vaillancourt

A Layered Restoration with Contemporary Elegance

Originally a private home, the structure had been modified repeatedly over the centuries, resulting in a mix of added wings, altered floor heights, and glass canopy insertions. These accumulated changes left the building in a fragmented state, but still with architectural elements worth preserving. The Paris-based architects approached the project by working with these layers, reorganizing the interior, and restoring historic features while introducing a more unified spatial and material logic.

Furnishings, coordinated by MVE-Collection, include light wood desks with linen rubber surfaces that are paired with selections from independent and established design studios. These include pieces by Axel Chay, Margaux Keller, Duplex Studio, and manufacturers such as Silvera and Petite Friture. In contrast to the raw surfaces, built-in cabinets and plants throughout the space introduce softer tones and a more domestic atmosphere.

Several distinct materials define different parts of the building, with terracotta tiles lining the restrooms, circulation zones marked by mineral finishes, and the central atrium paved in irregular opus incertum stone. This atrium, once a formal courtyard, is now enclosed with a glass roof and functions as a central gathering space. The rooftop of the rear structure, previously underutilized, has been converted into a planted terrace accessible to staff.

Studio Vincent Eschalier completes the renovation of a 17th-century building near the Grand Rex in Paris

the new headquarters for consulting firm SIA Partners

many walls are deliberately left unfinished

revealing texture and construction traces

exposed technical elements on the ceiling are painted white to reduce visual contrast

accumulated changes left the building in a fragmented state

the commercial ground floor was redefined with new dark granite cladding

light wood desks with linen rubber surfaces are paired with selections from design studios

the renovation spans 3,000 square meters across five floors and a basement

project info:

name: SIA Partners Headquarters
architect: Studio Vincent Eschalier | @studiovincenteschalier

location: Paris, France

area: 3,000 square meters

design team: Caroline Puleo, Elisabeth Duboys Fresney, Mattéo Lécuru, Lili Mangin

client: SIA Partners | @lifeatsia

photographer: J.P. Vaillancourt | @jpvaillancourtimages

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom

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Bathed in a warm orange glow and anchored by a counter clad in crushed silver metal, Café Nuances’ new outpost in Paris brings a raw, futuristic edge to the historic streets of Le Marais. Designed by Crosby Studios, the compact space plays with reflection, texture, and light to turn a simple coffee stop into an immersive, hyper-designed encounter.

At street level, a full-glass facade reveals an inviting glowing interior in which the only decor is a volume wrapped in small metal panels that evoke broken shards, and small metal volumes for visitors to take a seat. The walls are finished in Café Nuances’ signature gradient orange, creating a luminous backdrop that intensifies with the changing light. Mirrored surfaces on the ceiling and the monolithic seats reflect and multiply the room, giving the compact space a heightened spatial ambiance.

all images by Jenia Filatova

crosby studios blends minimal forms with chromatic expressions

The choice of materials emphasizes texture and tactility. Stainless steel surfaces dominate — from the polished cube stools to the coffee equipment and fixtures — forming a palette that feels both raw and hyper-designed. Matching the counter, some seats are topped with the same crushed metal fragments, reinforcing the material language throughout. The floor, finished in smooth grey concrete, adds an understated contrast to the more reflective elements above.

This location marks a stylistic evolution for Café Nuances. Conceived by Harry Nuriev, whose Crosby Studios’ practice often blends minimal forms with bold chromatic and material experimentation, the café becomes a curated interior experience, as well as a spot to enjoy coffee in the French capital. The artist and architect’s past work has included interiors and installations across Paris, New York, and Moscow, often pushing the boundary between furniture and sculpture. He explored similar chromatic expressions in earlier works, too, including the intricately sculpted silver blossoms in his recent Flower Room in NYC, and the reflective ping pong table created in collaboration with India Mahdavi. A monochromatic approach paired with a surreal, minimalist palette also swept across an AR pop-up store with Zero10, and found its way across HYPEBEAST magazine’s 28th issue. 

Café Nuances opens new outpost in Paris

bringing a raw, futuristic edge to the historic streets of Le Marais

Crosby Studios plays with reflection, texture, and light

bathed in a warm orange glow and anchored by a counter clad in crushed silver metal

mirrored surfaces on the ceiling, and scattered below as monolithic seats, reflect and multiply the room

Crosby Studios’ practice often blends minimal forms with bold chromatic and material experimentation

appearing like a luminous box on the streetfront

project info:

name: Café Nuances
designer: Crosby Studios | @crosbystudios
location: Paris, France

brand: Café Nuances | @cafenuances
photographer: Jenia Filatova

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A series of photographs by Franck Bohbot presents an unusually quiet and architecturally focused portrait of Paris‘s Musée du Louvre. Granted rare carte blanche access by the museum, the French-born, New York–based photographer turns his lens on the interiors of the world’s most visited museum, revealing its structural cadence and enduring material presence with a stillness rarely seen by visitors.

Through this work, part of his broader ‘Parisian Interiors’ project, Bohbot moves away from the museum’s iconic role as a destination and instead frames it as what he calls ‘a living architectural organism.’ His images distill the museum to a sequence of calm spatial encounters, captured entirely in natural or available light. Through his images, daylight is shown to gradate while vanishing lines and historical textures dominate the composition.

the Cour Marly is filled with diffused daylight under its soaring glass canopy | images © Franck Bohbot

a study in scale and symmetry

From the Cour Marly’s glass-roofed sculpture garden to the saturated reds and gilded vaults of the Galerie d’Apollon, Franck Bohbot’s photographs emphasize the extravagance of Le Louvre’s interiors. In one frame, natural light pours through the vast barrel vaults of the Denon Wing, illuminating a receding array of stone statues. In another, the austere framing of the Mona Lisa’s gallery creates a visual standoff between viewer and object.

The photographer writes: ‘It’s a study in scale and silence, where every corridor, color palette, and composition pays homage to those who designed and preserved these spaces.’ His focus on symmetry heightens the architectural rhythm. Arches mirror arches, columns recede in dramatic perspective, and light bounces from the polished floors to the intricate ceilings overhead.

Franck Bohbot emphasizes the strict symmetry of the Louvre’s main corridors

the vast museum’s layered history

Along with its visual order, Franck Bohbot’s photographs record the layered temporality of Le Louvre. The museum was originally a medieval fortress, then a royal palace, and finally a public museum. This architectural evolution is evident throughout the vast museum, from the 12th century vestiges of the lower ground to the opulent 19th-century galleries.

In the rooms of antiquities, worn stone artifacts appear framed by neoclassical arches and softly reflective limestone walls. Meanwhile, the checkered flooring and classical columns of an upper-level hall lead toward a sculptural niche with exaggerated symmetry. ‘This series is less about documentation and more about reverence,’ Bohbot says, ‘for the stories embedded in stone, for the invisible presence of human hands, and for the timelessness of space when it’s given the chance to simply exist.’

the grand painting hall is rhythmically punctuated by arched skylights

a series of stone columns lead to a tranquil gallery alcove

the Galerie d’Apollon glows with gilded ornament and painted ceiling panels

antique sculpture halls are washed in quiet, indirect morning light

fragments of ancient architecture are framed by classical archways

golden galleries are layered with framed portraits and ornament

the Mona Lisa sits in a starkly geometric enclosure of pale stone and steel

project info:

museum: Musée du Louvre

photographer: Franck Bohbot | @franckbohbot

location: Paris, France

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At 69 Rue des Saints-Pères on Paris’s Left Bank, architect and creative director Onur Kece of The Refreshment Club introduces the flagship store of contemporary porcelain house Saints Pères, conceiving the showroom as a space of transformation. The 160-square-meter interior operates as a laboratory that immerses visitors in the slow, sensory rituals that shape it.

The spatial concept draws directly from the raw materials and techniques of porcelain-making. Red brick walls and counters, stacked dry without mortar, evoke the interiors of traditional kilns while also recalling industrial pallet systems, with their rhythmic repetition. A full-ceiling lightbox filters ambient illumination across the space, simulating the clear, even light of a sunlit day that softens edges, warms textures, and heightens the tactile character of each surface. At the far end, a long poured-concrete counter anchors an open workshop, where making becomes a visible and ongoing act.

images courtesy of The Refreshment Club

Saints Pères centers rituals in landscape of stone and clay

The spatial narrative unfolds in geological time. Opposite the entrance, a rough stone wall mimics the layered strata of clay quarries, grounding the boutique in the earthbound origins of its core material. This sense of grounding is enhanced by raw walls that breathe, edges that remain imperfect, and transitions that are felt more than marked. Movement through the space is uninterrupted and intuitive, every threshold is porous, and every boundary is blurred.

Paris-based architect Onur Kece, founder of The Refreshment Club creative agency, structures the boutique around three active zones that reinterpret the art de la table through contemporary gestures. An olive oil bar presents some of the rarest extra virgin varieties from around the world, inviting tasting as a sensory act. A custom coffee bar offers curated blends roasted in-house, while a modular zone hosts chef-led dinners, tastings, and artist collaborations, transforming the Saints Pères boutique into a site of hospitality and experimentation.

Saints Pères, as a brand, proposes porcelain as a medium through which attention, care, and sensorial presence are practiced daily. In this context, the store is an instrument of that philosophy, with Kece’s design inviting visitors to slow down, to observe, to touch, and to taste.

The Refreshment Club introduces the flagship store of contemporary porcelain house Saints Pères

the 160-square-meter interior immerses visitors in the sensory rituals that shape it

the spatial concept draws directly from the raw materials and techniques of porcelain-making

red brick walls and counters, stacked dry without mortar, evoke the interiors of traditional kilns

recalling industrial pallet systems

a full-ceiling lightbox filters ambient illumination across the space

an olive oil bar presents some of the rarest extra virgin varieties from around the world

a custom coffee bar offers curated blends roasted in-house

movement through the space is uninterrupted and intuitive

a rough stone wall mimics the layered strata of clay quarries

project info:

name: Saints-Peres Flagship Store, Paris | @saintsperesparis
architect: The Refreshment Club | @therefreshmentclub
location: 69 Rue des Saints-Pères, Paris, France

lead designer: Onur Kece

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom

The post red bricks line the refreshment club’s kiln-inspired flagship for parisian porcelain house appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Paris has opened three designated stretches of the Seine River for public swimming, marking a significant shift in the relationship between the French city and its central waterway. The move follows a €1.4 billion ($1.64 billion) program that combined infrastructural upgrades with environmental objectives to reestablish the river as a shared civic space.

This transformation builds on years of advocacy from local swimmers and civic groups who pressed for legal access to the river. For the first time since 1923, Parisians and visitors can enter the water under the watch of lifeguards and alongside daily water-quality monitoring.

swimming at the bras de Grenelle | image © Joséphine Breuder / Ville de Paris

infrastructure and design for a cleaner seine

The reopening of the Seine for public swimming reflects a complex design effort in Paris, extending beyond cosmetic improvements. More than 20,000 homes were connected to upgraded sewer systems to prevent untreated waste from flowing into the river. Engineers constructed large rainwater storage reservoirs able to capture storm runoff equivalent to twenty Olympic swimming pools. These systems help maintain safe conditions for public swimming during heavy rain.

Additional measures include improvements to water treatment facilities and daily testing of water quality, with results communicated to swimmers using a colored flag system. Together, these interventions have created an environment where swimming is managed as an organized public amenity.

a wooden terrace allows bathers to lounge in the sun | image © Joséphine Breuder / Ville de Paris

a new way to experience the river

Each of the three bathing areas — bras de Grenelle, Baignade Bras-Marie, and Baignade Bercy — offers a different view of the city’s landmarks. Near the Eiffel Tower, the bras de Grenelle bathing area site is designed for families with small children, while the Bras-Marie stretch by Notre Dame Cathedral attracts swimmers interested in the historic riverfront. A third location at quai de Bercy, close to the National Library, is part of broader plans to enhance cultural access along the Left Bank.

Showers and changing facilities are available to visitors, supporting the experience of moving between the city and the river. Diving is prohibited due to shallow water, and lifeguards are present throughout swimming hours.

swimmers attended the historic public opening on July 5th, 2025 | image © Joséphine Breuder / Ville de Paris

Paris’s efforts have contributed to similar initiatives across Europe, where cities have worked to reclaim rivers and canals for swimming. The project has also been shaped by concerns about providing spaces for cooling off during increasingly hot summers.

Authorities expect daily usage to reach up to 1,000 swimmers through the end of August. Additional sites along the Seine and Marne rivers are planned, with two locations on the Marne already open.

While health concerns affected some training sessions and events during the Olympic Games preparations last summer, competitions proceeded as scheduled, helping to build public confidence. Tourist authorities predict that swimming in the Seine will become a popular seasonal pastime, likening the city to Copenhagen with its harbor baths.

swimmers at the bras-Marie, facing the Saint-Louis island | image © Jean-Baptiste Gurliat / Ville de Paris

the bras de Grenelle location includes a small pool for children | image © Joséphine Breuder / Ville de Paris

swimmers at the foot of the Sully Bridge | image © Henri Garat / Ville de Paris

the quai de Bercy swimming area | image © Guillaume Bontemps / Ville de Paris

visitors enjoy the space with public seating on deck | image © Joséphine Breuder / Ville de Paris

project info:

name: Seine opens for Public Swimming

opening dates: July 5th — August 31st, 2025

locations: Bras de Grenelle, Baignade Bras-Marie, Baignade Bercy

photography: © Ville de Paris

The post 100 years later, paris is swimming in the seine again appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

French President Emmanuel Macron unveils Nouvelle Renaissance, an ambitious renovation of the Louvre designed to tackle overcrowding and improve the visitor experience. With annual attendance nearing nine million, the Louvre’s Pyramid entrance, designed by I.M. Pei, has become overwhelmed by the success of the museum. With this in mind, the initiative includes reimagining the museum’s historic Perrault Colonnade to create a new, more efficient entrance and relocating Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to a dedicated, standalone gallery.

Nouvelle Renaissance also addresses the long-term sustainability and accessibility of the Louvre, aiming for a more balanced visitor flow, better conservation, and a focus on education. The transformation will be underpinned by a global architecture competition, a nationwide art-sharing initiative, and a partnership with the Ministry of Education to improve art history education in schools. Macron describes the project as a ‘rebirth,’ uniting the 230-year legacy of the Louvre with today’s demands for accessibility, sustainability, and community engagement.

UPDATE July 1st, 2025: French Culture Minister Rachida Dati announced via X the launch of the international architecture competition for the Louvre’s Nouvelle Renaissance transformation. Framed as the world’s largest architectural call for a museum project, the competition invites proposals to rethink key public areas of the institution, including a new entrance through the historic Perrault Colonnade and a standalone gallery for the Mona Lisa. Backed by President Emmanuel Macron, the initiative follows rising visitor numbers, approaching ten million annually, and seeks to improve circulation, sustainability, and educational outreach. The project will be partially self-financed through a revised pricing policy and expanded patronage campaign, signaling a new cultural and architectural chapter for the Paris landmark.

all images courtesy of the Louvre, unless stated otherwise

transforming Perrault Colonnade and relocating mona lisa

On January 28, 2025, Emmanuel Macron held a press conference in front of the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre, unveiling the transformative Nouvelle Renaissance project aimed at reshaping the museum‘s visitor experience and addressing overcrowding. 

The renovation plans include a global design competition inviting architects to imagine the 17th-century Perrault Colonnade as the Louvre’s new entrance. The challenge is to integrate current visitor flow solutions, respecting the classical grandeur of Claude Perrault’s original design. Funded by the own revenues of the museum, the competition seeks to alleviate pressure on Pei’s Pyramid while sustaining the Louvre’s role as a cultural beacon. The competition will be launched in the coming months, with a projected deadline to choose a winning design by the end of 2025. The project will be phased over six years, with 2031 as the target for completion.

Alongside the entrance redesign, the Mona Lisa will move to a self-contained gallery with timed entry and its own independent access, mitigating the relentless crowds that have long dominated its display. Museum officials explain that this dual strategy is crucial for conservation and visitor experience, ensuring Leonardo’s masterpiece remains accessible without jeopardizing its safety. The museum will also implement a differentiated ticketing system with higher ticket prices for visitors from outside the European Union to help finance the transformation. This approach is expected to increase visitation to 12 million annually by 2025.

a global design competition inviting architects to reimagines Perrault Colonnade

Subterranean axes and sustainable gardens complete the project

Beyond the headline transformations, Nouvelle Renaissance introduces a subterranean east-west axis beneath the Cour Carrée to streamline navigation, while the Carrousel and Tuileries gardens will be upgraded into climate-resilient green spaces. Additional infrastructure upgrades prioritize accessibility, staff well-being, and energy efficiency, with a nationwide art-sharing initiative dispersing Louvre collections to regional museums. This initiative aims to bring Louvre collections closer to local communities, promoting regional engagement with the museum’s artistic treasures. The French President also pledges to double annual student visits to 900,000, framing the Louvre as a ‘book’ for global audiences. Macron’s plan focuses on teaching art history on a national level, with a new partnership with the Ministry of Education to improve the teaching of art history in middle schools. At the same time, the Louvre plans to train teachers in the museum to help guide students through art history, making the museum a hub for education.

The announcement for the renovation was also shared through Macron’s and the Louvre’s Instagram accounts, where they posted two images to convey the vision of the project. The first image features a sad Mona Lisa with the French text translating to ‘when the state of the Louvre deteriorates.’ The second image shows a happier Mona Lisa with the French text ‘le projet Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance,’ meaning ‘the Louvre New Renaissance project,’ in meme-style font, emphasizing the positive transformation.

Mona Lisa will move to a self-contained gallery with timed entry and independent access

all images courtesy of the Louvre, unless stated otherwise

Crowd looking at the Mona Lisa at the Louvre by Victor Grigas via Wikimedia, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

Nouvelle Renaissance also addresses the long-term sustainability and accessibility of the Louvre

project info:

name: Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance 
location: the Louvre | @museelouvre, Paris, France

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Acne Studios unveils a new permanent gallery space in Paris, Acne Paper Palais Royal, with ‘2025’, a solo exhibition by photographer Paul Kooiker on view through July 27th, 2025. Located at 124 Galerie de Valois, beneath the historic arcades of the Palais Royal and overlooking its iconic gardens, the space marks a significant chapter for the Swedish fashion house as it extends its presence beyond fashion into the realms of art, exhibitions, and cultural events.

images courtesy of Acne Studios

from magazine to life

The gallery is named after Acne Paper, the biannual magazine of the Stockholm-based house, featuring fashion, art, design, and writing. Much like the magazine, this new space is designed to host a mix of creative content that spans from art shows and photography exhibitions to talks, book signings, and cultural events. It’s intended as a space for dialogue and experimentation, where both well-known and emerging artists can share work and ideas.

The first exhibition at Acne Paper Palais Royal will feature new works by Dutch photographer Paul Kooiker, known for his unusual, stylized images that often explore the human body in surreal or theatrical ways. This choice fits well with Acne Studios’ visual identity and its longtime interest in photography and conceptual image-making. Since its founding in 1996 in Stockholm as a multidisciplinary collective, Acne Studios has treated fashion as just one part of a larger creative practice. This gallery in Paris reinforces that approach, placing the brand in one of the most iconic cultural locations of the city.

2025 by Paul Kooiker is on view through July 27th, 2025

2025 photographic exhibition by Paul Kooiker

Paul Kooiker’s 2025 photographic exhibition, on view through July, 27th, 2025, gathers forty-two portraits of art students from Amsterdam’s Gerrit Rietveld Academie, offering a sharp yet nuanced meditation on the ambivalence of young adulthood. While formally echoing the conventions of school portraiture, Kooiker’s images resist nostalgia and instead document a generation caught between uncertainty and resilience.

Each portrait stands as a rite of passage and a snapshot of emotional ambiguity. The familiar format, head-on, tightly framed, and meticulously lit, serves as a canvas for psychological tension. These are not celebratory tokens of academic progression but rather open-ended reflections on a volatile moment. The students’ expressions, neither entirely hopeful nor wholly anxious, channel the complexity of a world where optimism is tempered by crisis.

forty-two portraits of art students from Amsterdam’s Gerrit Rietveld Academie are on display

a sharp yet nuanced meditation on the ambivalence of young adulthood

each portrait stands as a rite of passage and a snapshot of emotional ambiguity 

Acne Studios opens a new permanent gallery space in Paris

the gallery opens to the public on June 26th, 2025

the first exhibition at Acne Paper Palais Royal will feature new works by Dutch photographer Paul Kooiker

a major step for the Swedish fashion brand

the gallery is named after Acne Paper, the biannual magazine of the brand | via @acnestudios

the students’ expressions channel the complexity of a world where optimism is tempered by crisis

project info:

name: Acne Paper Palais Royal

brand: Acne Studios | @acnestudios

location: 124 Galerie de Valois, Palais Royal, 75001 Paris, France

opening date: June 26th, 2025

inaugural exhibition: 2025
photographer: Paul Kooiker | @paulkooiker
dates: June 26th – July 27th, 2025

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