K&Irene is a jewellery brand of French heritage that recently opened its first store at Peninsula Hotel in Shanghai. Area-17 Architecture & Interiors designed a new retail concept enhancing the brand identity as well as oversaw the realization of the Shanghai boutique. As a precious piece of antique jewelry, the more you get closer the more the store reveals itself in a combination of sophisticated details.

The boutique’s facade granite stone frames and protects the delicate interiors, similarly to a gemstones’ naturally hidden inside rough rocks. Sharp cuts define the exterior, clearly inspired by the many facetings of a skillfully cut gem. Inside, display cases neatly shaped sparkle as diamonds cut by a master craftsman.
The aesthetic and cultural universe of the brand comes to life in the store, clients suddenly finding themselves in a sophisticated fin-de-siècle atmosphere. Elegant boiseries and refined decorations transform walls and ceilings in rich surfaces enhancing the jewelry on display, as well as the whole furniture designed in the late 1800s French style.
Similar to the layout of a historical dwelling, the client can move from one room to another through a sequence of gates that make a hierarchical progression of environments of various shapes to which correspond a hierarchic display of the precious pieces. A neutral palette and the symmetry of spaces purposely contribute to focus one’s attention on products, with the exception of few, accurately selected, royal blue velvet accents.