Librairie-Boutique du Petit Palais

Interior Architecture of the Petit Palais bookshop-boutique

Petit Palais

2025

At the Petit Palais, light descends from above and embraces the rotunda that now houses the museum's bookshop-boutique, operated by Arteum. The Petit Palais is a place of silence and serenity, conducive to contemplation: light is omnipresent there, gently sweeping through numerous rooms. For the boutique space, it was essential to extend this sense of light already perceptible through the ceiling fixtures, as if echoing what unfolds on the floor above. The aim was to seek out light wherever it could be found, and carry it through into the exhibition spaces as well.

Designed by Atelier Emmaüs, La Fabrique and Ateliers Saint-André, the layout plays with curves, gradients and contemporary materials to transform this passageway into an invitation to curiosity and discovery.
Particular attention was also paid to acoustics: in this rotunda-shaped space where sound tends to reverberate, lintels were installed above the shelving to absorb noise and create a hushed, muffled atmosphere.
The portholes act as small periscopes, offering glimpses of natural light and views of the artworks displayed on the upper floors.

Project Owner: Arteum
Manufacturing: Ateliers Saint André
Furniture : Atelier Emmaüs, La Fabrique