Inside Jacques Marie Mage’s Temple to Acetate Excellence
Nestled into one of the Victorian red brick buildings on Chiltern Street, Jacques Marie Mage’s brand new London store looks like it could have been there for hundreds of years. And, thanks to the work of French interior designer Jacques Garcia, that’s the point.
“Jacques is one of the only architects and interior designers in the world that can create spaces that feel like they've existed for 200 to 300 years, and at the same time are completely modern and highly intimate,” says Jacques Marie Mage (JMM) founder and creative director Jérôme Mage in a statement about his latest store.
“So, really, he has the same approach to designing spaces that I have with designing glasses.”
Officially named the “London Chiltern Gallery”, the new retail space has a maroon red exterior with a white engraved pillar in the centre between two large windows. And this color scheme extends onto the inside.
Maroon walls permeate the space alongside furnishings produced by Paris-based furniture design firm Hervet Manufacturier. There’s also a multi-piece painting by Canadian artist and musician Andy Dixon, entitled Vanitas Vision, covering a large portion of the walls. (“I've been wanting to work with Andy for years,” says Mage. “He creates modern pieces that are deeply informed by a historical perspective.”)
It’s an opulent-looking space that takes cues from the traditional aesthetic of old-world gentlemen’s clubs. And this moneyed ambience helps it blend into its surroundings, the store being directly opposite storied celebrity hangout Chiltern Firehouse and on a famously high-end highstreet.
Inside the store, JMM’s signature eyewear is on offer, all handmade by artisans in Japan and Italy. Plus, there are leather goods, jewelry, finely curated artifacts, and what the brand describes as “exceptional objects”.
The London Chiltern Gallery is one of a series of JMM stores set to open worldwide following last year’s 10th anniversary celebrations. Alongside this London location, another in Milan has opened its doors, soon to be followed by similar “galleries” in Paris, Tokyo, and New York.
