Design
Genius Loci: A Unique Contemporary Design Exhibit in Bordeaux Stuns the Senses

For the first time in France, famed Milanese design company Studiopepe signs an ultra-creative scenography within the atypical showroom from Bordeaux, COUTUME{Studio}

In a setting that jostles the codes, the exhibit Genius Loci has been exclusively unveiled in a a selection of pieces amongst the greatest Italian design brands. Real creativity that is unleashed during unprecedented situations is often the most daring, and this was no exception. It was in the conditions of the first lockdown that the inspiring duo, COUTUME{Studio} and Studiopepe had the bright idea of making their artistic universes meet and unite their talents to create a new scenography of design. They were inspired by the ancient Roman locution: Genius Loci – referring to the protective spirit of a place in Roman times. Reveal the creators, “We wanted to make this philosophy our own, interpreting the genius loci not only as a spirit of protection, but also as the soul of the house and the attitude of the people who inhabit it.”

“Genius Loci’ is therefore the story of a place but also of an attitude to life, made of passion, research and love.

Studiopepe's co-founders Arianna Lelli Mami and Chiara Di Pinto

That exceptional collaboration takes as a starting point the aesthetic universe from COUTUME{Studio}, a unique space, absolutely atypical, that its founders, the interior designers Karine & Frédéric Aguiard, knew how to renovate with a remarkable skill doubled with a great aesthetic sensitivity to reveal its unique character and its architectural beauty. The Italian duo from the company Studiopepe, known for its strong iconographic identity, finds in this exceptional location a source of inspiration to explore the possibilities characterized by the spirit of Genius Loci.

COUTUME{Studio} and Studiopepe imagined an original scenography, placed under the sign of purity, durability and the material: a true ode to raw materials, told in their essence and valorizing archetypal forms of sculptural furniture, designed by Studiopepe, for emblematic Italian brands: Baxter, Tacchini, CC tapis, Tooy and Pretziada, and completed by unique pieces made from precious onyx slabs created in collaboration with Alimonti Milano. Here, the purity of the forms plays with the tactility of the materials; colours, another very important element in this process of creation, are declined in a variety of nuances of soil, stone and paper, enhanced by touches of yellow mustard and rust. Unprecedented propositions are forged between stylistic innovation and an artisanal savoir-faire; the mystery of alchemy operates by creating an unexpected dialogue with the place, associated with a poetic vision of design.

Words: Emily Leung & Nikey Cheng
Published on April 28, 2022