Project: Studio Vincent Eschalier
Chef: Victor Chollet
Photos: Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt
Gustave Collection is a boutique chain of work environments conceived through an innovative lens: four locations, all in Paris and in districts of the highest prestige, appointed with the meticulous attention to detail and the added design value typically associated with grand hotels. At the origin of the project stands a single individual, Mathieu Billard, who – after more than ten years’ experience in the coworking sector – identified an untapped market need: workplaces that fuse the operational functionality of an office with an exceptionally elevated stylistic register, designed to meet the expectations of the most discerning clientele, long overlooked by the coworking world, which has traditionally been tailored to the requirements of nomadic professionals and start-ups.
Gustave Collection’s addresses – 21 rue de la Paix, 43 avenue de l’Opéra, 10A rue de la Paix, and, from July, 232 rue de Rivoli – form a portfolio of architecturally distinguished properties with strong visual identity, where each client’s needs are attended to with the same bespoke precision as in a haute couture salon, a comparison Billard regards as paradigmatic. There are also plans to extend the concept to other world capitals.
Central to the philosophy is the notion of savoir-faire – that artisanal mastery France considers itself both custodian and standard-bearer of – combined with the service standards and performance protocols typical of major hotels: restaurant, bar, room service, fitness suite with sauna and hammam. The rue de Rivoli building will serve as something of a crown jewel: 2,500 square metres distributed across five floors, three of them devoted to private offices. It will also feature a generous 200-square-metre planted terrace overlooking the internal courtyard, with vistas onto the Tuileries Gardens, the Eiffel Tower, and the Grand Palais.
The furnishings are refined, alternating high-design office pieces with creations by young independent designers from France’s vibrant contemporary scene. The interior architecture of each building is overseen by architect Vincent Eschalier, whose portfolio spans fashion and contemporary art, and to whom Gustave Collection also commissioned a signature piece present in every location: Bureau Gustave, a desk that reconciles flexibility of use with a sophisticated visual language.
Adjustable in height to the centimetre, it rests on two aluminium sheet-metal elements that lend it a striking scenographic presence. The solid oak top is clad in linoleum in deep tones – English green or burgundy, depending on the site. The lifting mechanism is concealed by a custom-developed textile, while a digital timer prompts users to alternate working postures. Cables disappear into an internal structure, preserving the purity of line.
The shared spaces evoke the atmosphere of a private club: an interplay of materials and colours, a fluid spatial cadence articulated through sweeping curves and chamfered angles; abundant fine woods juxtaposed with concrete or vivid chromatic accents; mirrors and deliberately “raw” worked cement. Altogether, the result delineates a new paradigm that brings art de vivre and work into elegant synthesis – a compelling proposition.
