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28 Two Emporiums Reimagined Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels at River Oaks District By Shelby Hodge R iver Oaks District's bijoux boulevard has been buoyed with the re-imagined Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels emporiums, both owned by Swiss luxury goods company Richemont. Cartier has reopened in its original River Oaks District location as an expanded regional flagship with 8,000 square feet, which allows for two VIP rooms and a bridal salon. Van Cleef & Arpels expands to 5,000 square feet and introduces a swank champagne bar, nature- inspired dining room for private events, and a stunning façade composed of three- dimensional ceramic diamonds paired with a warm beige gradient texture. The expanded locations of these two respected French maisons carry a cachet unmatched in the Texas shopping arena. Along this same boulevard are Harry Winston and de Boulle, as well as Hermès and Dior with in-house jewelry salons. C artier tapped acclaimed Paris- based Bidard & Raissi Architects for the design, which gives homage to Houston's dynamic landscape and architectural icons, with a sly reference to baseball in sculpted wood columns that mirror the curves and softness of a bat, curved architectural lines that mimic the flow of Buffalo Bayou, and vaulted ceilings inspired by the graphism of the Astrodome's iconic gridded roof. Van Cleef & Arpels, designed in-house by their development team, relocates in River Oaks District and expands its boutique across a single floor encompassing five salons, with an entrance canopy of 12K white-gold leaves floating behind the extraordinary façade that ripples with color and shadows as it evolves from day into night. Van Cleef & Arpels' new location in River Oaks District Here and below: the re-imagined Cartier store Cartier En Équilibre High Jewelry ring