From Paris to New York to Los Angeles to Tokyo, the House of Lobb has 19 stores worldwide. It all began in 1851, when the company was founded. The founder walked from Cornwall, his hometown, to London where he began his career as a bootmaker. He then headed to Australia in the middle of the gold rush, where he created a shoe with a hollow heel, so that miners could hide gold nuggets inside. On his return, he became the official shoemaker to the Prince of Wales.
A century later, Hermes acquired the brand. On June 1, 2021, the house of Lobb opened a store on Rue François 1er in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. The architectural collective Ciguë was entrusted with the design of the three spaces of the house: ready-to-wear, on-demand, and custom-made. The custom creations are made in the Parisian workshop on rue de Mogador.
The 100-square-meter showcase has a lunar feel; the store is adorned with plastered walls and shelves, circular white enameled lava shelves, a central walnut and steel capsule, as well as luminous notches in the ceilings, giving the space its singularity. One could almost live in the place; the store is like a Parisian apartment. A large table in Azul Bahia stone is placed on a beige carpet, which echoes the cream, felted wool curtains.
The midnight-blue velvet of the seats warms the room while inspiring the cosmogonic aesthetic that the architects wanted to give to the place. The lighting, the white and beige tones, and the touches of silver and gold recall the colors of this beloved night star. The golden brass and solid walnut table contrasts with the blue and white tones of the room. The boutique-workshop becomes a space out of time, from another galaxy, from which one emerges transcended.
Flora di Carlo
John Lobb Boutique
51, Rue François Premier
75001 Paris, France