EN, Paris, 2019

This project marked a turning point in our practice, shifting our focus from simply designing a space to shaping cultural value through design. Developed in close collaboration with the client, it became the origin of our idea of beauty emerging from a space that exists as a Living Archive. The ambition was to create a skincare brand capable of translating the simplicity and subtlety of Japanese aesthetics into a universal language. Paris was intentionally chosen as the starting point, where Japanese and French cultural histories could be explored beyond stereotypes. The brand was named en, a Japanese word carrying three meanings: radiance, connection, and circle. These ideas informed both the brand identity and the architecture. The circle refers to the Ensō, a Zen symbol representing both the totality of the universe and emptiness, which became the conceptual foundation of the project. Located within a beautiful 17th-century limestone masonry building in central Paris, the intervention was intentionally minimal: a single curved brass wall. This gesture organizes circulation, hospitality, and product display into one continuous experience—simple in form yet rich in perception. Its reflective surface transforms the surrounding environment, creating an evolving landscape where cultural memories are continuously reinterpreted. The result is a space that connects past and future, allowing new meanings and relationships to emerge over time.

Photo : David Foessel