DIPTYQUE

Driven by their insatiable curiosity, three friends, Christiane Montadre-Gautrot, Desmond Knox-Leet, and Yves Coueslant opened their first boutique at 34 boulevard Saint-Germain in 1961, its name inspired by its two windows like an open diptych. Fueled by their eclectic, fantastical imaginations, and passionate about travel, nature, unusual objects, and surprising scents, the three esthetes invented a new art of living, transforming a typically Parisian store into an intimate space that invites visitors on a journey.

Since then, each boutique, like the first, cultivates their singular spirit and openness to the world’s beauty and diversity. To enter the boutique is to discover the Parisian interior of an enlightened collector, a traveler’s cabinet of curiosities, where each of us is invited to give free rein to our imagination as we move from one object to the next, from one scent to another…

THE DIPTYQUE BOUTIQUE OF THE SOMERSET COLLECTION: A JOYOUS CELEBRATION OF THE MAISON’S DECORATIVE CODES, INSPIRED BY A PARIS APARTMENT

Once visitors cross the brass-bound mosaic threshold of the Somerset boutique, beneath its frontage in the Maison’s iconic green, they discover a space cadenced with concrete columns like a living reminder of the city’s industrial past. To the rear, a light-refracting sculpture – a large, colorful disk – sketches shapes on delicate peach walls. Furnished with oak shelves, chairs by the Friends of Form studio in Brooklyn – renowned for minimalist designs, a fireplace, organic-shaped tables, and a brick-red, hand-woven rug by Nordic Knots, it brings to mind the warmth of Parisian interiors and blends seamlessly into its backdrop of riveted-steel panels, glass and concrete. From the very first step, scented candles diffuse their fragrances and bring nature to the forefront. A flower, fruit, herb, tree, or spice reveals every facet of its naturalness. To fully appreciate these fragrances, the wax tablets can be flipped onto small, embroidered cushions. The eaux de toilette and eaux de parfum rest on an oak table. Olfactory memories with unexpected accords, they recall gardens, journeys, towns, and landscapes; inscribed in the iconic oval of the Maison, their names each contain the “O” sound. Scattered through the boutique, decorative objects and candleholders with timeless designs pique the curiosity of browsing visitors. The fruit of collaborations with outstanding artisans who love their materials and the gestures of their craft, they pay tribute to this spirit of exploration and the desire to always go the extra mile.

Since 1961, Diptyque has explored the world, sharing its roving imagination and poetic wanderings from city to city…