French crystal brand Baccarat teamed up with talented designer Thomas Dariel to create a showroom that was timeless yet elegant with a touch of Parisian chic.

To celebrate its 250th anniversary, French crystal brand Baccarat wanted to write a new Chinese chapter in its legendary history. In order to pay homage to its heritage while revealing a new image to the Chinese market, the brand invited Thomas Dariel, the talented Shanghai-based French designer, to imagine its new showroom space and create a bridge between the two countries.

The showroom is located in the newly renovated Rockbund compound, which combines historic and new buildings, luxury stores and cultural venues, at the confluence of the Hunagpu River and Suzhou Creek, illustrating the diversity of Shanghai culture as well as the city’s timeless elegance. Baccarat House is hosted on the ground floor of a red brick heritage building that fits well with the brand’s image. Eliminating mundane and predictable clichés, Dariel defines the showroom as an elegant Parisian apartment with crafted textured details yet in a modern and youthful way.

Inspired by French Haussmanian style, Dariel divides the showroom into two distinctive spaces. Accessing from the Victorian porch, the main living room is a pastel pink scheme, with coordinate contemporary furniture in wool fabric and simple lines, the first impression is of purity and warmth. It is a simple scenography that allows highlights of three magnificent Baccarat chandeliers from the Zenith range – icons that punctuate the space.

Modern style extends through to the display area where a pure white marble hexagonal high table and black pillar shaped displaying features toning down the pink and distinguishing themselves as functional areas. Shiny stainless steel trays superposed on the dressing tables exhibit Baccarat’s latest collection. Elements extracted from Parisian Haussmanian influence continue through the display space, with the wooden floor cut into herringbone patterns, carefully chosen pastel tone wallpaper evoking the feeling of a French salon or boudoir, and as a contrast to this traditional setting Dariel designed quirky moldings drawn in neon lines that galvanize the space by spreading out pink reflections to the Zenith chandeliers.

As you walk through a preserved old door, you enter into a dining room that offers even more sophisticated scenography where Dariel plays with crystal, mirrors and lighting to achieve a game of spectacular reflection. In the centre of the room a sumptuous crystal table – designed by Philippe Starck – glitters with thousands of lights and harmoniously displays and blends timeless Baccarat collections. Above the table a huge magnificent stainless steel framed mirror occupies the ceiling. While magnifying the table’s setting, the mirrors positioned above and around the table also enlarge the dining room that becomes a fantasy place for opulent parties. What’s more, the three-dimensional geometric wallpaper especially designed for Baccarat House, plays another role – adding more angularity to the space.

For this project, Dariel’s aim was to bring to the Chinese customers a feel of an elegant and exalted French lifestyle, experiencing the domestic life of Parisians with the use of Baccarat’s products… This is the core design concept of Baccarat House.

Project Details: 

Baccarat House, Shanghai, China

Interior Design: Dariel Studio

Lighting supplier: Baccarat