lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage

F.O.G. architecture sculpts Lemaire’s first boutique in china

 

In Chengdu’s Taikoo Li district, just steps from the Fountain Plaza, F.O.G. Architecture completes a serene boutique for Paris-based label Lemaire, marking the clothing brand’s first permanent store in China. Departing from storefront maximalism, the 140-square-meter space retreats quietly into its site, using a recessed facade and a ritualistic entry sequence to draw visitors into a spatial experience that reflects the philosophy of Lemaire.

 

Anchored by a unique ‘one step up, one step down’ circulation design, the boutique’s entrance introduces a buffer zone, where a landscaped interstice mirrors the under-eaves spaces of traditional Chinese architecture. This transitional moment sets the tone for the entire spatial narrative. The entry’s movable potted plants, placed in traditional local ‘sauce jars,’ speak to a grounded sense of Chengdu daily life and subtly reinterpret the domestic habit of indoor urban greenery.

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage
all images by Wen Studio

 

 

bamboo and Moroccan Bejmat tiles take central stage

 

Materiality becomes the key storyteller at the Chinese Lemaire boutique, as multidisciplinary design studio F.O.G. Architecture orchestrates a dialogue between the ‘tangible’ and ‘intangible,’ with local bamboo taking center stage. From bamboo floors and curtains to stone textures evoking the woven tactility of bamboo, the palette balances honesty and abstraction. Echoing this approach, traditional Sichuan crafts, such as Yi-made Cha’erwa wool shawls repurposed as curtain panels and delicately woven Cizhu bamboo door handles’ form part of a collaborative design process between architects, artists, and regional artisans, ensuring contextual authenticity and alignment with the brand’s visual language.

 

The coexistence of local tradition and global aesthetics continues within. Moroccan Bejmat tiles, a signature Lemaire material, reference the greyscale tones of Chinese masonry, while construction details borrow from local architectural memory. Baseboards inspired by the wooden thresholds of the historic Du Fu Cao Tang are reimagined as soft transitions between surfaces. Even the overhead lintel becomes a functional design feature, doubling as a rail for displaying garments.

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage
F.O.G. Architecture completes a serene boutique for Paris-based label Lemaire

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage
the 140-square-meter space retreats quietly into its site

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage
the boutique’s entrance introduces a buffer zone

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage
materiality becomes the key storyteller at the Chinese Lemaire boutique

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage
Moroccan Bejmat tiles reference the greyscale tones of Chinese masonry

lemaire-chengdu-tranquil-fogarchitecture-boutique-chinese-tradition-designboom-large02

a collaborative design process between architects, artists, and regional artisans

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage
ensuring contextual authenticity and alignment with the brand’s visual language

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage
construction details borrow from local architectural memory

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage
baseboards inspired by the historic Du Fu Cao Tang are reimagined as transitions between surfaces

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage
marking the clothing brand’s first permanent store in China

lemaire's first boutique in china by F.O.G. architecture fuses tranquility with cultural heritage
local bamboo takes central stage

lemaire-chengdu-tranquil-fogarchitecture-boutique-chinese-tradition-designboom-large03

subtly reinterpreting the domestic habit of indoor urban greenery

 

 

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the 140-square-meter space retreats quietly into its site
the 140-square-meter space retreats quietly into its site
a spatial experience that reflects the philosophy of Lemaire
a spatial experience that reflects the philosophy of Lemaire
anchored by a unique ‘one step up, one step down’ circulation design
anchored by a unique ‘one step up, one step down’ circulation design
F.O.G. Architecture orchestrates a dialogue between the ‘tangible’ and ‘intangible’
F.O.G. Architecture orchestrates a dialogue between the ‘tangible’ and ‘intangible’
from bamboo floors and curtains to stone textures evoking the woven tactility of bamboo
from bamboo floors and curtains to stone textures evoking the woven tactility of bamboo
the palette balances honesty and abstraction
the palette balances honesty and abstraction
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

project info:

 

name: Lemaire | @lemaire Boutique 

architect: F.O.G. Architecture | @fogarchitecture

location: Chengdu, China

area: 140 square meters

 

design team: Zou Dejing, Wu Leilei, Tang Mo, Wang Shengqi, Xiong Aijie, Shu Shi, Han Daoyang, Huang Yingzi, Zhang Chi, Zhan Di, Zheng Yu

art consultant: Company Per Form | Gao Muxi, Wang Chang, Shi Xizhi, Cheng Yunwei

decoration consultant: SUNDAY PROJECT | Linda Wang

vintage furniture support: 20C GALLERY, Lonehorn Vintage Home, Habiter Apartment

structural consultant: JuanKou Structure | Tao Xinwei

lighting consultant: AURA Studio

general contractor: Beijing Youlong Jinsheng

project management: French House

photographer: Wen Studio | @wen_studio2020

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