project: cartier Melbourne
DESCRIPTION
French architectural firm Bidard & Raissi remodelled Cartier Melbourne in the Haussmannian style with tall windows and spacious light-filled rooms. In keeping with the Maison’s commitment to adding distinct local touches, flora from the nearby Royal Botanic Gardens can be seen on gilded stencilled walls, in glass marquetry panels, and on hand-painted silk wallpapers.
An extensive library of custom finishes
Di Emme has been building a library of custom finishes for Cartier, creating new hues and textures to complement the Maison’s classic palette of golden beiges and champagne bronzes. The now extensive portfolio includes the moon gold patina applied to the textured plaster ceiling domes, the signature Cartier-gold finishes on walls, columns and fittings, and distinctive tinted gilding.
Finessing the design for the stencilled gilded wall
Based on an original Cartier design, Di Emme created the polished plaster stucco and gold leaf pattern on the staircase that ascends to the first floor where the fine jewellery and bridal collections are housed. This entailed nine months of back and forth between Di Emme and the French design team from initial sampling to finessing the line work and graphics for the stencilled gilded wall. Di Emme artisans went on site to create the polished plaster stucco, apply the stencils, add the gold leaf, remove the stencils, and provide touch ups. Di Emme also created a smaller version of the gilded stencilled leaves for the internal lift walls.
Celebrating Melbourne’s coffee culture
Melbourne’s coffee culture is celebrated in a coffee bar on the first floor. Di Emme created the custom coffee bean patina on canvas panels in the Leichhardt Sydney studio and installed them on site. The cross-hatched gilded joinery in the care services library was also prepared in the Di Emme studio.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Di Emme produced an array of bespoke finishes for the remodelled Cartier Melbourne boutique including gilded stencilled walls, tinted gilding, and a distinctive coffee bean patina. Utlising the Leichhardt studio wherever possible, was integral to meeting the project deadlines as working on site was restricted.
CLIENT
Cartier
Services
Project management
Onsite installation
LOCATION
Cartier Melbourne at 90 Collins St, Melbourne, VIC
DATE
2025