Travelling luxury: A Utopian home is re-imagined

The luxury brand has lovingly created La Maison au Bord de l’Eau, the Utopian holiday home created by Perriand in 1934 for a competition – she came second – and filled it with pieces designed between 1929 and 1942. Louis Vuitton launched the project in conjunction with its spring/summer 2014 Icons collection and continues the brand’s connection with the world of travel, as well as fitting in with its widespread diversification into the lifestyle, homewares and stationery categories.

The four-room home – a one-off that will be auctioned by Sotheby’s – is furnished with clean, faithfully recreated natural wooden pieces, flexible elements such as a retractable canvas roofed courtyard, and accessorised by coral and sculptural pieces. Clothing and accessories from Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2014 Icons collection – inspired by Perriand – are strategically placed throughout.

The exhibit is a clever way not only for Louis Vuitton to connect itself with travel, but also – by feting a female icon – with the rising luxury Athena Woman audience. It is also a sophisticated way to connect with luxurians, particularly those in China, who are increasingly switching to understated, stealthy and intellectual symbols of luxury.

For more on how luxury brands are using art and culture to connect with audiences, read our Renaissance Retail microtrend.