I've been transfixed with designer Sonya Park's line, Arts & Science, for a while now, but since it is based in Tokyo and has only a few global stockists, I can only admire the pieces from afar. So when I learned about Arts & Science's shop in Galerie Vivienne in Paris (their only location outside of Japan), I went on a pilgrimage.
The shop is located in the Second Arrondissement, where you'll find the former stock exchange, banking headquarters, and textile district. Partially designed by François Jean Delannoy in 1823, the neoclassical passages are covered with a glass dome that infuses the interiors with a warm glow—that alone is worth the visit. Galerie Vivienne is the perfect setting for Arts & Science, which, since its inception in 2003, has inspired a whole world around luxe utilitarian design, working with minimalist shapes in natural Japanese fabric.
In the small shop I was greeted by Taro, on the Paris shop staff, who really sort of breathes the A&S aesthetic—something I realized as he, wearing a perfectly shapeless black linen suit, described the spring collection. With its palette of light wood, black-painted furniture, and brass display pieces sourced from the Paris flea market, the shop's interiors serve as a seamless backdrop for the spring collection.
In Paris, visit Arts & Science at 39 Galerie Vivienne; for more, see To Wear, To Dwell, To Eat and Down the Stairs: A Staff Canteen and Cafe in Tokyo.
Photography by Alexa Hotz for Remodelista.
Above: A half column in the window displays the 2 Way Bag in yellow calfskin with a linen lining.
Above: A couple of Jabra Wallets in brown leather with an accordion-style card holder.
Above: Arts & Science's spring collection is a mix of linen and chambray, accented with mustard yellow.
Above: Park has a close relationship with Astier de Villatte, who stocked A&S pieces in their Rue Saint-Honoré shop long before the Galerie Vivienne location opened.
Above: The Chesterfield Work Coat is a new-old tailored jacket inspired by vintage work jackets and made in linen or cotton.
Above: An antique pendant lamp sourced from the flea market with updated wiring.
Above: The brass frame on a glass cabinet is in accord with the detailing of A&S accessories: buckles, latches, and zippers.
Above: Wallets in a stiff, black cow leather.
Above: The medium-size Simple Bowling Bag is made of brown or black cow leather.
Above: Select Astier de Villatte ceramics. In the past the two brands collaborated on a series of china featuring the A&S logo of a key and a gold rim.
Above: An antique porcelain finial at the bottom of the stairs banister. Upstairs, Arts & Science hosts clients in a showroom full of billowy dresses in draped silhouettes.
Above: Large vessels from Astier de Villatte.
Above: A brass-footed music stand holds a sign with the shop's opening hours.
For more places to visit in and around Paris, see our Travels with an Editor: Paris series and visit our Paris City Guide.
This post is an update; the original ran on June 3, 2013.
Location of Arts & Science in Paris:
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