Assouline
New York, NY
About the project
Paris-based, luxury book publishing houseand lifestyle designer Assouline was founded by Prosper and Martine Assouline in 1994 and suavely courts the professional and socialworlds of architecture, art, design, fashion, gastronomy, lifestyle, photography and travel it documents. They do this by linking its books and prints, home furnishings, gifts and accessories to sophisticated marketing, promotional and cultural events. The company commissioned BR Design to design its 10,000-square-foot New York office. It requested a work environment as clean, open and stylish as the art galleries, fashion salons, retail boutiques and four-star restaurants its readers frequent. Spare and handsome as the final result was, achieving the right look for a space comprising reception, open office, private offices, executive offices, conference room, studio, pantry and restrooms required close attention to detail. The exposed waffle slab became a major element in the design of the open area, creating a strong pattern in the ceiling. In addition, a furniture plan was devised to incorporate furniture, art and antiquities that Assouline would relocate. Open and enclosed offices were carefully aligned to balance skyline views with book displays and bookshelves. A color scheme featuring Assouline’s signature taupe provided the finishing touch to this one-of-a-kind environment.
We were featured in the October 2022 edition of Vogue Polska for our work on the Assouline headquarters! Read more about this project in the excerpt below.
Translated Text:
ASSOULINE
Founded in the early 1990s in Paris by Prosper and Martine Assouline, the publishing house was established with a desire to redefine the status of a book and create an object that enchants the narrative and is visually stunning. Today Assouline publishing houses 1,700 titles in three main series with editions in special and unique accessories. Over the last 25 years, the brand has created a network of international boutiques in well-known locations around the world. It has inaugurated the curatorial service, offering tailor-made, unique libraries, and gathered a group of eminent people – artists, photographers, writers, and designers. Design by Assouline’s New York office with an area of 930 square meters, situated at Park Avenue, the brand commissioned BR Design Associates. The owners of the publishing house had a vision of an office space that combines the aesthetics of an art gallery, fashion showroom, boutique, and luxury restaurant. BR Design translated the vision of investors, the atmosphere and character of the reception, conference room and offices, and the kitchen, using the characteristic of Assouline grays and deep reds. It’s eclectic, open interior, with minimalist furniture and industrial lamps, is combined with velor upholstery, top sofas with design and antiquarian items, furniture from antiques markets, souvenirs, and knick-knacks. The space is filled with shelves that form the basis for albums – piles, turrets, cover facades – its paper architecture in dialogue with the Manhattan skyline.
