July 15th, 2021 – By Promostyl

La Samaritaine, the grand reopening

Founded in 1870 by Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie-Louise Jaÿ, La Samaritaine is one of the great department stores in Paris. Having passed its golden age and becoming unprofitable, La Samaritaine closed its doors in 2005, in order to redevelop its buildings. After years of work and 10 years of delay, this mythical department store of the French capital reopens its doors, after 16 years of closure.

In the Art Nouveau and Art Deco style, the buildings are the work of the architects of the time Frantz Jourdain and Henri Sauvage. Wanting to keep this spirit, today's architects have kept the façade of the building on the Seine side, as well as the interior decorations entirely reworked and repainted with gold leaf. On the street side, it’s to the architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa that we owe this beautiful undulating glass façade.

The grand staircase covered with 16,000 gold leaf and with its chain steps preserved from the original, highlights the interior, letting customers discover the different fashion and beauty floors, while admiring the stunning architecture and handmade paintings.