In 2022, Galeries Lafayette will inaugurate a new space dedicated to well-being: the Wellness Galerie. Situé au sous-sol de la Coupole parisienne, cet écrin de 3 000 m² propose une approche globale du bien-être, associant sport, beauté et soins. Pour créer un environnement apaisant et feutré, les architectes ont misé sur des matériaux écoresponsables et naturels. Rairies Montrieux a apporté une contribution essentielle à ce projet en habillant murs et mobiliers de terracotta tiles in delicate shades.
Rairies Montrieux terracotta tiles bring warmth and elegance to walls and furniture.
Know-how for well-being
To design this space dedicated to well-being, the Galeries Lafayette team of architects sought to convey a soft, enveloping ambience conducive to relaxation. “We’re in a space where we want to be cocooned, with soft colors,” explains Valérie Lacoste, visual identity and merchandising project manager.
Rairies Montrieux’s terracotta tiles, available in a range of natural tones from beige to brick red, were the obvious choice. Their texture and neutral hues created a hushed, soothing and warm atmosphere.
Claire Jeancourt-Galignani, interior designer in charge of the project, details their creative process : “We made a palette with the samples we’d received, to find the one that worked best. We did whole sections of walls, with joints and without, to find what worked best”. This meticulous research resulted in a visual harmony, where terracotta tiles serve as both decorative element and background material, reinforcing the intimate atmosphere of the Wellness Galerie.
Eco-responsible materials by Rairies Montrieux enhance this space dedicated to relaxation and pampering.
A technical challenge for a successful collaboration
While the final result is impressive in its aesthetics, the project represented a technical challenge for the Rairies Montrieux teams. Cladding the 3,000 m² of this space with such specific materials required special know-how, both in design and installation.
Rémy Montrieux, the company’s CEO, emphasizes the importance of this project: “Because the location is prestigious, it is a benchmark. For this large-scale project, three different styles of cladding were used: two matte styles, in beige/clay tones, and a two-fired enamel style to bring more luminosity to the spaces dedicated to the beauty brands.
The installation itself required some adaptation. “Our craftsmen had never laid the corner bricks before. They had to learn to lay them in a slightly different way”, explains Claire Jeancourt-Galignani. Rairies Montrieux’s technical contribution ensured the success of this project, thanks to their expertise and support throughout the process.
With their soft hues and subtle textures, bricks create a soothing atmosphere in the Wellness Galerie.
Responsiveness and proximity: key advantages of Made in France
One of the decisive factors in the project’s success was the geographical proximity and responsiveness of Rairies Montrieux, located in Maine-et-Loire. This choice proved particularly strategic in a post-covid context, marked by tensions in supply chains.
As Valérie Lacoste explains: “First and foremost, choosing French materials means we can react much more quickly. It also gave us a lot of flexibility. Because I have to admit that we’ve had a few setbacks, and we’ve had to re-lay some bricks, so we’ve been able to recommend them fairly quickly, and they’ve been able to re-supply us with bricks fairly quickly.
Thanks to this close, seamless collaboration, the project was completed to tight deadlines. While a project of this scale usually takes two years to complete, the work was carried out in just one year, with only six months to spare.
An ancestral material for contemporary projects
For five generations, Rairies Montrieux has been perpetuating ancestral know-how in terracotta, while developing innovative solutions for contemporary architectural projects. The company has met the expectations of Galeries Lafayette, combining artisanal quality with modernity.
The use of natural materials, such as terracotta, meets today’s growing environmental and aesthetic demands in the world of architecture. Thanks to their in-depth knowledge of the material and their ability to adapt, Rairies Montrieux’s teams provide tailor-made solutions for architects and designers looking for sustainable, aesthetic and environmentally-friendly solutions.
The innovative, seamless installation of terracotta tiles creates a clean, harmonious finish.
