Laurent Seigle-Dias turned a fascination with the high-fashion world of Paris into a career as an artist. He worked for many of the major fashion houses, including Guerlain, Van Clef & Arpel, and the House of Chanel, headed by his favorite designer, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. So much so he is recreating the 4-story Empire building at 31 Rue Cambon in 1/12 scale.
The Floor Plans
The layout of the original House of Chanel and the miniature have a boutique on the ground floor. Haute couture is on the first floor, where models show collections to prospective customers. The second floor is Chanel’s apartment, which was also her office and work area, left just as it was when the designer died in 1971. Today, it is used for photoshoots and media interviews. The third floor of the building is leased to the designer Karl Lagerfeld.
The Exterior
An Empire-style building is influenced by classicism, characterized by purity of line, rigorous proportions, symmetry, and horizontal divisions. In other words, other than the sidewalk entrance to the boutique, the exterior is rather plain. This seems strange in a city where style and design had been adventuresome in all previous eras. The explanation is King Louis XVI demanded no building be built that was more stylish than his own. That didn’t leave much creative freedom for the original architect or for Laurent Seigle-Dias. His attention to detail has allowed Laurent to achieve one of his goals with the exterior: to evoke the sense of glamor he feels for the building. That demand for excellence comes at a cost. The miniature you see in this picture is Laurent’s fourth attempt.
The Interior
Coco Chanel used up all available imagination on the interiors. As Laurent began working, one of his first challenges was to be the Art Deco mirrored spiral staircase. Chanel designed it to see almost everything going on in the building from several vantage points. I can’t wait to see what Laurent does with this remarkable element in 1/12 scale.
There will be an opportunity for creative freedom when Laurent gets to Chanel’s second-floor apartment, decorated in the Baroque style. It looks over-the-top in this black-and-white photograph. Laurent says the best he can hope to do is capture the spirit of Chanel.
Introduction To A Dollhouse
Early in his career as an artist, a large dollhouse was exhibited at Disney Land Paris, where he was working. He was intrigued and bought a Beacon Hill miniature mansion kit. When completed, a well-known Parisian patron of miniature arts asked that he show it at one of her Salons. This led to Laurent’s launching a career in dollhouse miniatures. His order book proves it was the right choice.
Patrick Owens
