PROBABLY THE MOST UNUSUALLY DELICATE 35 SQUARE METRES EVER. DE LIS IS A SMALL LINGERIE SHOP IN THE CENTRE OF THE CITY AND, LIKE THE PRODUCT IT MARKETS, THE SPACE IS DESIGNED WITH A COMFORTABLE, PROVOCATIVE LAYOUT. THE PROJECT BY LIEVORE, ALTHERR AND MOLINA APPROACHES THE EXTREMES OF DELICATENESS BY HIDING FROM SIGHT ANY INFRASTRUCTURE SUPERFLUOUS TO THE DESIGN. THIS INTERVENTION SUBVERTS WHAT IS NORMAL IN PUBLIC SHOPPING AREAS AND PRESENTS INTIMACY AS A SPACE FOR RESPECTFUL ENCOUNTERS.

A Draftsmen’s Space
A quick look at the fitting room will reveal the essence of the whole design. It has the sole singular presence of the Toribio seat by Alberto Lievore, which seems to blend into the background when not in use. The rest of the shop has a personal aroma enhanced by a slight fleur de lis scent, one of the minimal but adequate decorative touches. The crystal lamp with baroque lines, counterpoint to the delicate rationality of the rest of the furniture, is another of these touches. On one of the walls, a rectangular niche which can be seen from the outside contains a series of dummy torsos that seem to blend into the light. On the opposite side, the counter acts as a shop window and a display stand for the articles on sale in the shop. The interior design shows at its best in the nightdresses and pyjamas hanging on a minimal metal bar display solution that tells how the authors of the project sought to imagine the whole shop to be a fine drawing of defined contours. Only one severe detail, to prove that delicate need not be hesitant and weak. The dark wooden floor, which contrasts with the aquamarine of the establishment’s cash register, produces a unique luminosity. Another detail is the handle on the entrance door, a schematic evocation of a snake. Temptation dwells within.