Printemps Brings Parisian Style to Manhattan

The venerable French retailer Printemps – its very name meaning “spring” – has sprung to life in Lower Manhattan, marking a bold new chapter for the 160-year-old Parisian institution. The company has opened its first-ever U.S. store on Wall Street, inside the landmark One Wall Street skyscraper, infusing downtown New York with a dose of Parisian elegance and avant-garde retail theater​. This new flagship, spanning about 55,000 square feet over two levels, officially opened on March 21, 2025​, and it arrives with all the fanfare one would expect from a brand that helped define the grand department store tradition. Printemps (founded in 1865 by Jules Jaluzot) is famously storied – it pioneered the concept of seasonal sales and was among the first public buildings in Paris to be lit entirely by electricity in the 19th century​. Now, that spirit of innovation and renaissance has crossed the Atlantic, bringing a fresh “spring” to New York’s retail scene.

From Paris to Wall Street: A Storied Brand’s New Chapter

For Printemps, the move to New York’s Financial District is more than just a new store opening; it’s a statement of reinvention and global ambition. “Continuing its reinvention and acceleration, the celebrated French luxury department store, Printemps, opens its newest store in New York’s vibrant financial district,” the brand proclaims, situating the flagship in the historic 50-story One Wall Street building​. This venue is a fitting parallel to Printemps’ Paris flagship on Boulevard Haussmann – both are iconic historic structures, linking past and present. In fact, One Wall Street’s Art Deco pedigree (the building dates to 1931) echoes the heritage of Printemps’ own legacy of Art Nouveau and Art Deco design in Paris. By choosing New York, Printemps is stepping onto a highly visible stage. “The U.S. is essential in our international development strategy and opening in New York offers high visibility and growth potential. We think we can bring something unique,” said Jean-Marc Bellaiche, CEO of Printemps Group, when plans were first announced​. That “something unique” is evident in the concept of the store itself, which is deliberately not positioned as a conventional department store at all.

Not a Department Store: Rethinking the Retail Experience

Printemps New York bills itself as “not a department store”… but rather a place “where hospitality, gastronomy, culture, design and retail converge.” In lieu of the traditional shopping emporium model, the Wall Street flagship is imagined as an ever-evolving luxury concept blending shopping with dining, art, and experiential moments. “We seamlessly integrate retail, hospitality, dining, and innovative programming with a curated approach to fashion and lifestyle,” explains CEO Jean-Marc Bellaiche of this new format​. The goal, he adds, is to “inspire and bring people together, fostering a sense of belonging while enriching the consumer journey, setting a bold new standard for retail in the 21st century”​.

Crucially, Printemps entrusted its Paris-born vision to an American context by creating a space that feels less like a store and more like a lavish living environment. In an almost tongue-in-cheek rejection of old-school department store tropes, the entrance on Wall Street doesn’t feature grand staircases or perfume gauntlets, but towering bronze Art Deco doors that swing open to an imaginative wonderland​. This is retail as lifestyle and leisure: part boutique, part art gallery, part cafe society. In fact, Printemps’ leadership likens the space to a chic residence. The store was “designed by Laura Gonzalez as a true Parisian apartment”, an unprecedented concept at the crossroads of French savoir-faire curation and American hospitality​. The result is a retail experience where one might shop, sip espresso, admire art, and even get a facial or attend an event—all under one roof. Printemps New York offers an “exclusive, edited multi-sector offering, exceptional catering concepts… and bespoke services”, all delivered in a vibrant atmosphere that feels distinctly new​. It’s a format meant to “pioneer a new format of experiential retail” in the fast-changing and demanding New York market​, bringing a touch of Parisian elegance while reinventing what a luxury store can be.

Paris Meets New York: Laura Gonzalez’s Vision

To bring this vision to life, Printemps tapped Laura Gonzalez, a multi-award-winning Paris-based architect celebrated for her eclectic, maximalist style. In 2022, the Printemps Group selected Gonzalez to create a “Paris meets New York” twist in the design of the One Wall Street flagship​. For Gonzalez, the project was a dream come true. “It’s a one of a kind project, it’s a dream project,” she says, describing how she drew inspiration from Printemps’ rich heritage while embracing New York’s limitless energy​. “We were very inspired by the heritage of Printemps — the mosaics, the stained glass, the patterns, the original art — but this is New York,” Gonzalez notes. “It’s a new story. It’s a city where everything is possible.”​ In other words, the designer set out to celebrate the DNA of a Parisian grand magasin within the context of a city known for breaking rules. New York’s influence meant “there are no boundaries here”​, giving Gonzalez license to be especially imaginative.

One of the first challenges was architectural: how to unify One Wall Street’s two distinct parts – the original Art Deco tower and a later 1960s modernist annex – into one cohesive experience. Gonzalez’s solution was to honor the existing bones of the building while layering in new elements brimming with color, texture, and narrative​. The interior design deliberately merges Parisian Art Nouveau touches with New York Art Deco context​. In practice, this means you’ll find classic French materials and motifs reinvented through a modern, sustainable lens. For example, the floors are classic oak parquet but inlaid with swirling natural stone for a contemporary twist​. Decorative wall tiles take their cue from turn-of-the-century Paris, resembling vintage Art Nouveau ceramics that reinterpret historic motifs​. Appearances can be deceiving, too: what look like sumptuous marble tabletops are in fact made of compressed recycled plastic salvaged from the fashion industry​. In a first for a large-scale luxury store, all the furniture in Printemps New York is crafted from upcycled materials, and throughout the space one finds antique pieces sourced from French flea markets, underscoring a commitment to sustainability amid the glamour​. Gonzalez treats sustainability as part of the design aesthetic – a forward-thinking evolution of Printemps’ legacy of innovation. (In Paris, Printemps recently dedicated an entire floor to circular fashion and launched a sustainability label​, so the New York store’s use of repurposed materials is a fitting extension of the brand’s modern ethos.)

Every corner of the store carries Gonzalez’s signature maximalist-yet-warm sensibility. There’s a deliberate “Paris meets New York” narrative in the decor: Art Nouveau-style floral frescoes bloom across ceilings and columns, while bold Art Deco geometries shape fixtures and lighting. The interplay of eras and cities is constant – much like a dialogue between a Parisian apartment and a Manhattan landmark. In places, the designer literally imported Parisian artistry: for instance, Printemps collaborated with Paris-based Studio Pierre Marie to reimagine the stained-glass legacy of its French stores in a modern way for New York​. The result is a space that feels at once fantastical and deeply grounded in design history. One might say Printemps New York takes the reverence of a Haussmannian “cathedral of retail” and flips it into a more subversive, playful playground​. Forget any staid formality—here, whimsy and opulence collide freely.

Inside the Flagship: An Apartment of Wonders

Gonzalez has effectively laid out the Manhattan flagship as if it were a grand Parisian apartment with many unique rooms, each offering its own mood and purpose. The store unfolds through ten distinct sections (or “rooms”), each meticulously designed with its own color palette, materials, and vibe, yet all maintaining a cohesive narrative thread​. In fact, stepping inside feels a bit like opening a jewelry box: each space reveals itself like a secret drawer with unexpected delights​. Below are some of the standout spaces and experiences awaiting visitors inside Printemps New York’s two-level layout:

The Playroom: The Broadway-facing ground-floor entrance is dubbed the Playroom, and it immediately sets a playful tone. Under a vibrant, multicolored marble ceiling reminiscent of a whimsical circus tent, shoppers find casual fashion and giftable accessories displayed alongside an all-day café.​ Café Jalu, with its candy-striped green marble accents and brass details, invites visitors to grab an espresso or pastry beneath swirling decorative light fixtures – blurring the line between retail and cafe society​. This space’s lively colors and pattern mix announce that Printemps New York is anything but austere business-as-usual.

The Sneaker Room: Tucked off the Playroom is a futuristic nook devoted to sneakers and streetwear. Here, Gonzalez went ultra-modern: the room features a curvilinear archway and an immersive LED ceiling installation that bathes the space in ever-changing light​. This high-tech chamber presents limited-edition kicks as coveted treasures, marrying New York’s street-style energy with Parisian flair for presentation. It’s a prime example of Printemps embracing local culture – the city’s sneaker obsession – within its luxury narrative.

The Salon: In another section of the ground floor, the Salon offers a more refined atmosphere for women’s ready-to-wear and accessories. The design shifts to intricate marquetry wood flooring, lush floral textiles, and touches of gleaming brass, creating the feel of an elegant Parisian drawing room​. Mannequins pose amid vintage-inspired furnishings, and overhead a statement installation of sculpted birds (a whimsical artwork by French artist Charles Kaisin) hangs as if in mid-flight​. The Salon’s layered, decorative style nods to classic French interiors, giving shoppers the sense they’re perusing a couture wardrobe in a stylish friend’s home.

The Boudoir & Red Room Bar: Ascending via a discrete pink marble staircase, visitors reach the Boudoir – a dramatic, double-height space devoted to evening wear, vintage finds, and fine jewelry​. This room exudes opulence: its walls are clad in warm moon-gold metal panels that glow softly, and screens with cracked lacquer finish (crafted by Atelier Maury) partition intimate alcoves for jewelry displays​. Adjoining the Boudoir is the Red Room Bar, an intimate ground-floor cocktail bar swathed in rich red jasper marble and stained glass details​. With its jewel-toned ambiance, the Red Room Bar invites shoppers to relax with a champagne or cocktail—an embodiment of Printemps’ hospitality ethos. It feels like the chic bar of a private Paris townhouse, transplanted to New York.

Maison Passerelle (Fine Dining): As a full expression of the retail-meets-lifestyle concept, Printemps New York even boasts its own upscale restaurant, Maison Passerelle. Overseen by James Beard Award–winning chef Gregory Gourdet, this dining space is a culinary bridge between Paris and New York​. The interior features hand-painted floral tiles and plaster bas-relief blooms on the walls, an Art Nouveau–inspired mosaic floor, and a grand stained-glass window crafted by Studio Pierre Marie​. One show-stopping detail is a large mural that spans the dining room ceiling – created from AI-generated images of sunsets over former French territories, which Gonzalez translated into a dreamy painted fresco via Paris’s Atelier Roma​. The effect is transporting: guests can dine on French-American fare while surrounded by art and design that evoke the essence of Printemps’ Parisian heritage in a modern way. (A wine shop by Printemps is set to join the mix as well, further rounding out the lifestyle offerings​.)

This thoughtful choreography of spaces means a customer can wander through the store much like exploring a luxurious apartment or a series of salon rooms. Between trying on sneakers in a neon-lit cove or getting a handbag repaired in the onsite leather Atelier, one might pause for a manicure in the spa or sip champagne while waiting for a couture fitting​. The idea, as the designers put it, is that you can “freely wander the store’s nooks and crannies, champagne in hand, just as you would in a friend’s apartment.”​ Even the powder rooms are exquisitely considered – adorned with hand-painted tiles and vibrant stone floors – underscoring that no detail has been overlooked in making visitors feel at home in this Paris-meets-New-York fantasyland​.

The Red Room: A Historic Gem Reborn

If there is one space that best symbolizes Printemps’ fusion of Parisian soul and New York spirit, it is the Red Room. Located just off the Wall Street entrance, the Red Room is an awe-inspiring vestibule with soaring 33-foot ceilings, entirely clad in a shimmering mosaic of red and gold tiles from the 1920s​. This space actually predates Printemps’ arrival: it was originally the banking hall of the Bank of New York, designed in 1931 by famed muralist Hildreth Meière. For decades, Meière’s ombré crimson mosaics – more than 13,000 square feet of them – were an inaccessible hidden jewel, designated as one of New York’s few interior landmarks​. Now Printemps has transformed the Red Room into a dream-like luxury shoe salon, giving the public access to this long-shuttered treasure​.

Designing within a protected landmark came with strict rules – notably, Gonzalez could not drill into or alter the original mosaic surfaces. But in constraint, she found creativity. “Constraints bring creativity,” the architect affirms​. Her ingenious workaround was to create an independent “forest” of tall, spindly flower-shaped structures that now populate the Red Room like a surreal enchanted garden​. These whimsical white floral forms, made of ecological resin and metal, rise toward the vaulted ceiling and unfurl petal-like canopies. They double as display racks for shoes and as ambient lighting fixtures, casting delicate shadows on the mosaic without ever affixing to the walls​. The effect is magical. Amid the rich scarlet and gold shimmer of Meière’s tiles, Gonzalez’s contemporary floral sculptures seem to bloom, paying respectful homage to the Art Deco artistry while adding a fresh narrative. The once-static hall now feels alive and inviting – as one design journalist described, it “sparkles anew like Dorothy’s ruby-red slippers.”​ It’s a space that literally and figuratively bridges old New York and Parisian flair: the grand decorative craft of the past meets the imaginative experiential design of today.

Standing in the Red Room, Laura Gonzalez reflects on what made such an audacious project possible. “New York is a city where everything is possible… Here, there are no boundaries,” she notes, suggesting that the city’s dynamic energy allowed her to push design to its limits​. Indeed, Printemps New York feels like a testament to that ethos of possibility without boundaries. It demonstrates how a storied Parisian brand can honor its heritage while fearlessly reinventing itself on new soil. As Printemps Group’s CEO Jean-Marc Bellaiche puts it, “What we have created in New York physically embodies our core values of innovation and perpetual renewal… It forges a lasting connection between New York and Paris, between Printemps and the city.”​ In blending the romance of Paris with the restless creativity of New York, Printemps has crafted something truly novel on Wall Street – a space where the past and future, Paris and Manhattan, collide in gorgeous harmony.