Visiting the top floor of Printemps on Haussmann Blvd, a fancy department store in a fancy part of town, yielded an origami cloud, which I blogged about yesterday. It was an attractive display in a surprisingly industrial space for an upscale store, but it wasn’t as noteworthy as I hoped. Moving to the next room dramatically upped the architecture.

Look at this space with a bold, modern interior design and a clear glass dome — not what I expected in a traditional department store. As I’ve shown in the last two posts, while the exterior of Printemps is classic, the interior is refreshingly modern.

This clear glass dome design is in stark contrast to the ornate dome atop a magnificent atrium at a nearby competitor, Galeries Lafayette.

Like I’ve done in many posts that required a super-wide angle, I shot more than one frame to capture the space with my 24mm equivalent. This modern sculpture hangs from the glass dome.

While this room is generous, it’s cozy compared to the cavernous atrium of Galeries Lafayette — and ultimately, I like it better. Imagine having an office in this room. The competitor’s grand atrium is impressive and has a wow factor that is hard to beat. But as a usable and comfortable space, give me this room.

When I thought this was it for the top of Printemps, we discovered more.

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