French high jeweler Boucheron chose Las Vegas for its second U.S. boutique because the city’s luxurious resorts and other upscale retailers attract a clientele that seeks a premier experience when shopping for jewelry, according to Boucheron CEO Hélène Poulit-Duquesne.
Boucheron’s 1,560-square-foot boutique inside Las Vegas’ Fontainebleau resort opened in December, with interior design that combines Parisian elegance with some Vegas flash. The maison’s first U.S. boutique opened last September on Madison Avenue in New York. Adding a Las Vegas location is a crucial step in Boucheron’s U.S. expansion, says Poulit-Duquesne.
“Its vibrant energy and its position as a global luxury destination make it perfect for increasing brand awareness among both American and international clients,” she tells JCK in an email interview.
“Each store design carries the distinctive DNA of Boucheron boutiques while also benefiting from local design touches that reflect the unique character of each city,” Poulit-Duquesne says. “To reflect the city’s energy, we chose bright colors and luminous materials.”
The public may not know it, but Poulit-Duquesne is very hands-on when it comes to the design and customer experience of Boucheron boutiques. She says her goal is to align every aspect with the company’s overall vision and strategy. To that end, Poulit-Duquesne attends store design meetings and assists in selecting wallpaper, furniture fabrics, and other decor elements like door handles.
In the Vegas store, Boucheron used moiré wallpaper, which has a waterlike pattern imitating the shimmer of silk, to add depth to the walls and create a play of light. The boutique has round tables inside and an exterior featuring the brand’s signature green, uniting it with Boucheron headquarters in Paris.
“Frédéric Boucheron was the first of the many great contemporary jewelers to open a boutique [on the Place Vendôme], in 1893 at No. 26. This address was a private mansion where Parisian families used to live, and this family spirit still goes on,” Poulit-Duquesne explains. “This is the reason why we chose to replace traditional selling tables by round tables that bring together clients and advisers in a more intimate setting.”
Other reminders of Boucheron’s heritage in the Las Vegas store include two vintage lamps by French architect and designer Pierre Chareau, whose work is in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, among other collections worldwide.
The store’s VIP area offers Parisian character with wallpaper that represents the Jardin d’Hiver (Winter Garden) at Boucheron’s Place Vendôme flagship, but with a Las Vegas twist: a palette of metallic blue, green, and orange tones.
“During the renovations of our Parisian flagship in 2018, I wanted to create this emblematic space, which today blends plants with the maison’s Nature collection,” Poulit-Duquesne says of the Jardin d’Hiver. “For the Las Vegas boutique, we’ve collaborated with Atelier d’Offard, a renowned French company, to create a special floral-motif wallpaper that combines 18th-century traditional techniques with modern processes.”
She notes two other favorite design elements of hers in the Las Vegas boutique: pictures by the Franco-Swiss photographer Erwan Frotin and a coffee table featuring OSIS, an innovative surface finish by German design studio Ilot Ilov that uses salt crystals and color pigments on wood to form distinctive patterns.
“As our boutiques are opening, we’re also building a unique global art collection, carefully selecting different pieces for each boutique worldwide,” Poulit-Duquesne says. “This creates a distinctive atmosphere in every store, offering our clients a fresh perspective wherever they visit us.”
Top: Interior of the new Boucheron shop at the Fontainebleau resort in Las Vegas (photos courtesy of Boucheron)
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