Coco Chanel once said “an interior is the natural projection of a soul.” One look at Chanel’s recently reopened Dallas boutique makes it clear the French house took its founder’s dictum to heart.
Situated in Highland Park Village, the boutique pays tribute to Texan flair and the late designer’s opulent tastes in equal measure. The brand worked with the architect Peter Marino, who designed the house’s new Beverly Hills location last year. The revamp goes further than paying homage to Chanel’s famous phrase: It strives to emulate her iconic rue Cambon apartment.
The store is sprawling at 6,500 square feet split across two levels, yet many of the Maison’s offerings—including ready-to-wear, jewelry, and beauty—are nestled across nine different salons, turning each department into an intimate, unique experience. A lush color scheme and plush rugs set the space apart from sterile shopping destinations.
Marino is known for approaching luxury with a comprehensive lens, paying as much detail to the architecture as to interiors. The art on display in the Dallas boutique is no exception: Upon entering the ground floor, visitors are greeted with one of Marino’s own bronze “commodes” next to a grand marble staircase. A gold stone urn by Johan Creten is installed on a pedestal in the watches and fine jewelry salon—its undulating contours and bulbs resemble a handful of gold necklaces melted down.
The shoe salon on the second floor is arguably the highlight of the store. Complete with a silver gelatin print by Vera Lutter and two Sancai-glazed ceramic lions dating back to the Ming Dynasty, the room feels closer to a glamorous walk-in closet worthy of the brand’s founder than a footwear department.
Shoppers are in for an extra treat in womenswear: An 18th-century Chinese Coromandel screen sits tastefully behind a gold sofa, a direct nod to Coco Chanel’s very own living room. It’s a delicate touch, one that in-the-know customers will see and appreciate. Chanel understands what luxury really is: curating every moment, and nodding to the woman who did so first.
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