This strategy was achieved through the modification of the structure of the building to allow for an open plan, replacement of the façade, enveloping millwork around the perimeter, and the repetitive use of ceiling vaults. The geometric irregularities of the layout were ordered through the positioning of three sales areas and their support facilities; arranged in a dumbbell scheme, the ready-to-wear sales areas occupy opposite ends of the space and are linked by a gallery of accessories that faces the garden.

The previous structural system of timber, cast-iron and terra-cotta was replaced with steel beams and four cast-iron columns. New front & rear façades were added directly to the arcade and the Rue de Montpensier, creating an important cross axis through the store that provides a sense of space beyond the boundary of the perimeter walls. The studio worked closely with the French Ministry of Culture and the Agence des Batiments de France to ensure the design met local historical requirements and to develop a new facade standard to be applied to future renovations of the Palais- Royal. A continuous wall of sycamore shelving unfolds to visually unify the sales areas and provide needed display space -its materiality, and scale provide an opaque counterpoint to the arrangement of nickel vitrines and glass facade that dematerialize the exterior wall it parallels. And throughout, the elemental form of the vault serves as a hybrid between both historic and contemporary architectural forms. The vault encapsulates the space and counterbalances the strong horizontal line of the store as well as the visual pull of the garden courtyard. Together, these interventions allowed for the emergence of a new contemporary architecture within an already layered history.