NEW YORK, Nov 9, 2010 / — Known for its collectible books, Assouline announced that it recently opened its newest retail concept ASSOULINE Books, Gifts, & Gallery at South Coast Plaza, the fourth freestanding boutique for the luxury brand, joining Paris, New York, and Las Vegas.
In each location, ASSOULINE offers the entire brand collection of over one-thousand titles as well as personally curated vintages tomes and the brand’s extensive gift line which includes leather bags, vintage bookends, limited edition luxury libraries, museum quality art and collectibles, stationary, and candles.
At South Coast Plaza, Prosper Assouline, the founder of the fifteen year-old company, has personally created an iconic space, modeled after his own library. Juxtaposing traditional elements with modern influences, this new boutique takes on a feeling of an art-deco culture lounge.
Elegant ecru lacquered shelving, richly painted red walls, and personally curated objets d’art from Prosper and Martine Assouline’s global travels adorn the space, making each visit unique and enticing. From the signature Didot lettered carpeting to the ASSOULINE Mondrian eighteen-foot “Wall of Books,” this extraordinary store sets the standard of a contemporary library and embodies the true identity of the brand.
The boutique offers its visitors an elaborate array of ASSOULINE titles and rare volumes to facilitate the creation of personal and unique collections, which can be further enhanced with ASSOULINE’s carefully chosen vintage classics and collectors’ items.
To the back of the store, displaying framed limited edition prints with ever-changing exhibitions, is the first ASSOULINE Gallery. Large-scale iconic Slim Aarons photographs, images of Baccarat clad Vintage Cocktails, as well as heirloom inspired crests and animal prints are personally selected by Prosper Assouline from his famed tomes and produced in limited edition bringing books to life as art.
The gallery also carries a carefully curated collection of museum-quality art pieces, including rare sculptures, one-of-a-kind bookends, vintage globes, telescopes, and the full line of ASSOULINE luxury gifts and collectibles — the last word in fashionable library accoutrement.
Luxury gift items include gilt-edged leather notebooks with fine Italian paper, cutting-edge special editions, leather book bags – designed in collaboration with MCM, ASSOULINE cashmere blankets, library-theme scented candles, the limited edition Oscar Niemeyer lectern ($8,500), and a one-of-a-kind special edition Goyard trunk ($20,000) that doubles as a chic library containing one-hundred titles.
