a space for freedom, inspiration and experience
Laurence Semichon, translated from French
The First Shop
A Shop Filled with Three Friends’ Favourite Things
Diptyque began at 34 boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris in 1961. The shop was opened by painter Desmond Knox-Leet, interior designer Christiane Montadre-Gautrot and Yves Coueslant, who worked in the theatre. The three wanted a place where they could share their own sensibilities without compromise.
The shop displayed geometric fabrics they had designed alongside things discovered on their travels: miniature paper theatres from Britain, Japanese kites and German lanterns. Yves brought his theatrical experience to the window displays, arranging objects from different countries and with different uses into a single scene.
It was not only a shop to look around. Music from the gramophone ranged from the Rolling Stones to Monteverdi. Perfumes from abroad, materials that invited touch and the three friends’ choice of music filled the time spent there. Fragrance was one part of this rich assortment.
From Fragrance for the Home to the Maisons
Candles scented with hawthorn, tea and cinnamon arrived in 1963. In 1968, the first eau de toilette, L’Eau, joined them. Scenting a home and wearing a fragrance both grew out of the everyday work of a shop that had selected decorative objects and fabrics.
Maison Diptyque, which opened in Paris and London in 2024, developed this starting point into larger spaces with exhibitions and opportunities to meet craftspeople. On rue Duphot in Paris and New Bond Street in London, away from the founding shop, the two Maisons offer time to enjoy art and craft alongside the products.
The Thinking Behind the Stores
Showing What It Means to Live with Art
The Maisons take their cue from the apartment of a Parisian who loves art and decoration. They go beyond shelves of perfume, with separate spaces for bathing, a salon for home fragrance and rooms for individual consultations. Seeing fragrance alongside vessels and furniture makes it easier to imagine where and how to use it at home.
The spirit of the brand described by Diptyque CEO Laurence Semichon echoes the interests of its founders:
the meeting of art and nature
Laurence Semichon, translated from French
Alongside works of art, the Maisons have places to explore the house’s history through its archives and spaces in which people can gather. Events have included a talk by perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin on how a perfume comes into being. Exhibitions and talks change with each programme, but the opportunity to get closer to the people behind a fragrance is part of the appeal of this kind of store.
Decoration Painted for Each Store
The decoration of each store also involves people working by hand in response to the place. Mural painter Alexandre Poulaillon has explained that his work with Diptyque calls for large, hand-painted pieces tailored to individual stores.
The brand requires bespoke work, and adapting to each world is exciting in itself.
Alexandre Poulaillon, translated from French
This approach differs from reproducing the same shop around the world. At the Paris Maison, his murals surround the staircase; in London, other materials, including glass and a bathtub, give the space the character of a home. There are things to catch the eye before and after choosing a fragrance.
Boutiques to Visit
The Founding Boutique on Boulevard Saint-Germain
The original shop at No. 34 still welcomes customers at the same address. Inside, look for two columns clad in bluish mirrors. They are remnants of L’Orphéon, the nightclub that once stood next door, preserved within what is now a single space. They connect the neighbourhood’s nights, when painters, actors and students crossed paths, with the daily life of the three friends’ shop.
The address also gave its name to the fragrance 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain. Comparing the scent with the furnishings offers another way to enjoy the shop.
Maison Diptyque Paris
Beyond the entrance to the Maison on rue Duphot lies an imaginary garden. Rather than an outdoor garden, it is a room that brings a sense of nature indoors. Passing Poulaillon’s murals on the staircase and entering a salon inspired by a bathroom, you can see how fragrances are placed within different scenes of everyday life.
The candle named after the address, 7 rue Duphot, Paris, draws on the library that once occupied the site. Its scent, recalling polished wood and old books, conveys something of the building’s past.
Alongside individual fragrance consultations, a service lets customers select a large candle from combinations of fragrances and finishes. Consultations are conducted in French, so it is worth checking the details when booking. Several times a year, evening events fill the Maison with candlelight, offering a chance to compare its furnishings by day with the rooms illuminated by flames.
Maison Diptyque London
At 107 New Bond Street, the Maison brings the feeling of a Parisian home into a London townhouse. Its bathing salon features a bateau bath by Witt & Berg. The copper and nickel finish, stained glass by Studio Vitrail Bianconi that casts green light, a travertine basin and swan-shaped taps give the room its character.
London also has a candle that turns the memory of a place into fragrance. The scent of 107 New Bond Street, London evokes traditional potpourri and expresses the spirit of the Fine Art Society gallery. Set beside the Paris candle’s evocation of old books, it reveals the different urban histories behind the two Maisons.
The programme also includes workshops on fragrance and using candles, and creative sessions with artists. From a shop where visitors discovered unusual objects selected by three friends to one where they can make things themselves and consider how to live with fragrance: the two Maisons offer a chance to experience that expansion.
References
- Diptyque: The Story of Diptyque
- Diptyque: 34 boulevard Saint-Germain
- Comité Colbert: Interview with Laurence Semichon
- Hélène Cascaro: Interview with Alexandre Poulaillon
- Diptyque: Maison Diptyque Paris
- Diptyque: Maison Diptyque London
- Witt & Berg: Maison Diptyque, New Bond Street, London
- Harper’s Bazaar India: Interview with Laurence Semichon
- Diptyque: Boulevard Saint-Germain Boutique
