Earlier this year, Hermès opened the door to its new home on 166 New Bond Street. True to the house’s infallible commitment to craft, and the weighted significance of its 16 métiers to its luxury universe, the new store is so much more than just a place to browse for a Birkin. Instead, it’s a sprawling, wondrous ode to Hermès, in all its artisanal glory. Spread across 2,000-square-metres and six interconnected buildings, it is home to a full-size horse sculpted by British artist Jessica Wetherly, rooftop gardens, 500 cherry-picked artworks adorning the walls and much, much more. As such, its windows – a long-standing canvas for artists to interpret the house’s yearly theme, and the first point of intrigue for passers-by – must be every bit as extraordinary as the space inside.
This month, architecture studio Space Popular have been handed the baton, creating an autumnal scene with a surrealist bent as a response to Hermès’ 2026 theme, Venture Beyond. Entitled Ciel de Lit (bed canopy in French), it dives into the liminal space between dreams and reality, with Space Popular’s directors, Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg, opting to pay tribute to the store’s Georgian origins by transforming the windows into the interiors of a 1700s bed nook, incorporating hand-stitched quilts for a direct nod to the house’s relationship to craft. Here, Lesmes and Hellberg delve into their process, working with Hermès and why their windows will make you look twice.
1. Surrealism is a key facet of your work. How did you go about incorporating this into a design as tactile in nature as your Hermès window?
We love creating things that make you look twice. Few movements in art have done this as beautifully as surrealism. By combining what we already know in unusual ways, like a doorway that, up close, turns out to be a quilt, it makes us wonder and dream.
The more recognisable something is, the more powerful it will be when subverted. Like a classic Georgian interior complete with windows and radiators, but all made out of textiles instead of wood, gypsum and paint.
We love this moment when your perception flips and you realise that you are looking at something that is not quite what you expected. You confront your preconceptions.
2. Three London-based artisans spent two months creating the quilts featured in the windows – why was it important to integrate this level of craft into your windows?
We wanted to create something that felt like it belonged in the world of Hermès, which is synonymous with craftsmanship and quality, but also colour and depth through its rich history of motifs in silks, for instance.
We have worked with textiles in architecture and sculpture for over a decade, and we always find the most inspiring moments when a collaboration with artisans creates new energy and ideas. We worked closely with Andy Knight’s teams, who spent almost two months quilting the huge piece.
We also believe things become meaningful through the process that brings them to life, not only by what they look like or can be used for when finished. Things and spaces carry an aura we read into through the signs of their craft. One way this is referred to is the concept of effort heuristic, which describes the value we place on something based on how much effort we can tell went into making it. When people discover Ciel de Lit, we hope that this aura of craft and care comes through, as it can also be seen up close, side by side with Hermès objects that people know are made with the highest quality.
3. Where did the inspiration for the windows come from? Did you know exactly what you were going to do to begin with, or did it develop over time?
The installation is in some ways a continuation of a long line of experiments with textiles and virtual surfaces in our work. We have created several installations and artworks where a world gets compressed into a single surface, be that a screen or a textile print. We are constantly inspired by the history of textile art from all over the world, where stories are carried through motifs in everything from blankets, carpets, quilts and tapestries.
Ciel de Lit was developed over many months together with the Hermès teams, where the initial idea of a large quilt went through many versions before we finally created the interior that became the prints and, finally, the quilt.
We were also inspired by the architecture of the new Hermès maison at 166 New Bond Street, where the installation is situated. Many of the rooms contain wonderful examples of Georgian and Victorian architectural features, such as fireplaces and sash windows, that we used in the creation of Ciel de Lit.
4. What was your experience of working with Hermès on this project?
We were impressed by how Hermès respects the artistic process. It is truly comparable with the museum commissions that we are more familiar with. The trust, the freedom and the care for the artistic process when working with small studios like us are a credit to their ethos. We are incredibly proud of the project and will carry the experience of working with Hermès as we continue to explore textiles, surrealism and craft in our work.
Photography courtesy of Hermès.
