“A space must function before it can be beautiful,” Sophie Darrière tells us. Her approach is based on listening, understanding people and translating their lifestyles into the physical space. When this creative leader talks about design, she isn’t talking about trends or stylistic effects. She talks about people, behaviours, and what really happens in a space once the door is closed.

She has developed this very practical approach throughout her career, particularly at LVMH, where she worked on concepts, focusing on customer experience and usage patterns. “What has always interested me is the way a space is experienced, not just looked at,” she explains. Today, with Label Experience, she applies this framework to a wide variety of projects, but always with the aim of bringing to life spaces that work, that match their owners, like a perfect marriage.

Understanding people before designing spaces

At Label Experience, a project doesn’t begin with rough sketches on a computer. It begins with in-depth discussions. Sophie Darrière first seeks to understand who the clients are, how they live, what they like and what they need on a daily basis.

“We work a lot with psychology and sociology. We ask a huge number of questions—sometimes very simple, sometimes more personal, to understand how the space will actually be used,” she explains.

This phase may involve questionnaires inspired by Proust’s questionnaire, or discussions centred on a wide range of cultural or aesthetic references.

The aim is to avoid any standardised solutions. “Styles can vary greatly from one project to another, but what matters is that the space tells a story that resonates with those who will live there.” There’s no cutting corners for Sophie Darrière.

The key to Kretz Agency: luxury property

When the Kretz family entrusted Label Experience with the design of its first flagship in Paris, the brief went far beyond mere aesthetics. Currently in the spotlight and acclaimed by the general public, the Kretz agency is a family willing to go to any lengths to unearth the most beautiful properties on the planet.

Season 6, currently available on Netflix, is a massive hit. Building on this success, the agency decided to call upon the magic touch of Sophie D. The brief was fairly straightforward, but with one key challenge: to create a space capable of selling properties, hosting agents and facilitating teamwork, whilst remaining welcoming.

“We conceived the agency as an extension of the family home. A place where you should feel at ease immediately,” explains Sophie Darrière.

The project is based on a flexible space, structured around key features: a glass roof, warm colours, a vintage bar, and references to Boulogne’s architectural style.

” Every decision was made with the whole family. All six members had to agree, which made the project very demanding, but also very dynamic. Discussions sometimes took place remotely, between a meeting in Brazil and another in Deauville, in a constant back-and-forth between visions and realities. “

Rethinking luxury through disconnection

In design, numerous studies show that the mere pursuit of “beauty” guarantees neither the impact nor the relevance of an object. An aesthetic that is masterfully executed but disconnected from its use, context or narrative is often perceived as superficial. Conversely, it is intention, function and uniqueness that give design its lasting value.

Among recent projects, Velvet particularly embodies Label Experience’s vision. The concept is deliberately simple: to create around thirty high-end homes, scattered throughout the forest.

“The idea was to offer a genuine lifestyle experience, not just a place. Homes lost in the forest, with premium service, but without unnecessary ostentation,” explains Sophie.

The design deliberately takes a back seat to make way for the environment, tranquillity and the lived experience. A project that fully illustrates this new trend in luxury: quieter, more essential. Label Experience now relies on a team of around 35 staff members, with varied backgrounds, to co-brainstorm on such projects.

Designing spaces that have become popular

Working on projects linked to L’Agence, a series that has become hugely popular, also raised the issue of visibility. When a space is seen by millions of people, it must remain credible and accessible.

“Even when highly exposed, a space must first and foremost work in real life. The staging comes later,” Sophie Darrière points out.

The creative director and co-founder also mentions an experience linked to a Netflix shoot (editor’s note: other than that of L’Agence immobilière), where the usual constraints of design are disrupted by the pace and staging. The set then becomes a character visible on screen, scrutinised, interpreted, sometimes fantasised about.

“It requires overcoming your fears, making very quick decisions, whilst remaining true to the vision. Far from being mere fictional sets, these projects force you to think differently, to accept a degree of the unknown, within an imaginary world that sometimes recalls The White Lotus.”

Today, Sophie Darrière’s work spans a wider geographical scope, between Paris and the international scene. Projects are underway in Seoul, where different ways of living and designing spaces are feeding her reflections on usage.

An openness that does not erase her Parisian roots, quite the contrary. Sophie D. has made her mark on Rue Royale, at the heart of the newly opened Lalique space. Other projects are in the pipeline, always guided by the same idea of luxury that plays out in space, in the rightness of choices, and in the time one allows a place to exist.

Translated by Bethszabee Garner