A walk under the arches

After lunch at the Sabelle house, somebody always suggests a walk. Nobody goes far. The route runs out of the front door, along the square and under the old brick arcade, where it stays cool even in August. Then everyone stops for coffee and comes home. That walk is La Promenade, the house's third chapter.

The arch

We walked under those arches for years before we really noticed them. Then we could not stop. A rounded arch is the shape of a door left open, and it turns up all over the house: in the mirrors of the salon, the backs of the dining chairs and the window over the stairs.

So the arch became the house's mark. It closes every bag in La Promenade, in gold-finish brass, curved like the top of the arcade. It is the buckle on the Ceinture Arche and the zip pull on the Portefeuille Laque. On this website, every piece stands in an arch of its own.

Brick and powder blue

Every room in the house has its own colours. La Promenade takes them from the walk. Brique is the rust of the arcade in the afternoon sun. Poudre is the powder-blue sky beyond it.

The bags take the colours of the people who carry them. Laque red for La Promenade. Black for Le Cavalier. Pivoine pink for La Promenade Mini. Velours green suede, trimmed in red calf, for Le Cabas, the bag for a weekend in the country.

Made for walking

A bag for a walk has to be light and easy to hold. La Promenade measures 24 by 18 by 10 cm. It takes a phone, keys, a lipstick and a folded letter. The handle is shaped to sit in the crook of the arm. A detachable strap with a 55 cm drop takes it to the shoulder when you need both hands for coffee.

Each bag is made in Italy in glazed calf, lacquered to a deep shine that softens the more it is carried. Inside, it is lined in bottle-green suede with a single slip pocket. Entretien explains how to keep it that way.

Take the long way

The walk takes twenty minutes if you go straight there and back. Nobody ever does. There is always a shop window, a dog to meet, or a bench in the sun at the end of the arcade.

Take the long way home. Walk through La Promenade.

Maison Sabelle is a concept store by Neat Digital.