Terminal 2G at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport has been given a facelift and transformed, under the direction of Dorothée Meilichzon, to welcome passengers into a modern and daring world.
This new terminal honours the tradition of French furniture and decorative arts. It is the first showcase for Extime, the new hospitality brand of the ADP Group, where conviviality and excellence are the key words.
"The initial idea was simple, but oh so exciting: 1,300 sq.m of experiences to invent, furniture to design, boredom to deceive, conviviality to create, intimacy to preserve, through the dramatization of a boarding hall ", stresses out Dorothée Meilichzon, founder of CHZON studio.
This approach, supported by Groupe ADP, aims to differentiate itself from other competing airportsand to provide travelers from around the world with a level of hospitality never before achieved in an airport. "We are pioneers in more than one way: firstly, by associating ourselves for the first time with a renowned French designer, Dorothée Meilichzon, to bring a new emotion to travel.And by creating Extime, a brand new brand that will make hospitality shine beyond our borders", says Augustin de Romanet, Chairman and CEO of Groupe ADP - Aéroports de Paris SA.
The highest number of connecting passengers at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport
Since its opening, terminal 2G has welcomed almost two-thirds of international passengers. In 2019, terminal 2G welcomed nearly 2.8 million passengers, 74% of which were on the Schegen beam and 26% on domestic traffic.
The new boarding hall in terminal 2G is now in the pure tradition of French furniture and decorative arts, with, for the very first time, playful, original and totally unconventional pieces of furniture specially created for this area.With a nod to the furniture of the 60s and 70s, this new space offers passengers a varied scenography and creates a clear link with Paris. At the same time, it honours French know-how and craftsmanship.
This new terminal honours the tradition of French furniture and decorative arts. It is the first showcase for Extime, the new hospitality brand of the ADP Group, where conviviality and excellence are the key words.
"The initial idea was simple, but oh so exciting: 1,300 sq.m of experiences to invent, furniture to design, boredom to deceive, conviviality to create, intimacy to preserve, through the dramatization of a boarding hall ", stresses out Dorothée Meilichzon, founder of CHZON studio.
This approach, supported by Groupe ADP, aims to differentiate itself from other competing airportsand to provide travelers from around the world with a level of hospitality never before achieved in an airport. "We are pioneers in more than one way: firstly, by associating ourselves for the first time with a renowned French designer, Dorothée Meilichzon, to bring a new emotion to travel.And by creating Extime, a brand new brand that will make hospitality shine beyond our borders", says Augustin de Romanet, Chairman and CEO of Groupe ADP - Aéroports de Paris SA.
The highest number of connecting passengers at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport
Since its opening, terminal 2G has welcomed almost two-thirds of international passengers. In 2019, terminal 2G welcomed nearly 2.8 million passengers, 74% of which were on the Schegen beam and 26% on domestic traffic.
The new boarding hall in terminal 2G is now in the pure tradition of French furniture and decorative arts, with, for the very first time, playful, original and totally unconventional pieces of furniture specially created for this area.With a nod to the furniture of the 60s and 70s, this new space offers passengers a varied scenography and creates a clear link with Paris. At the same time, it honours French know-how and craftsmanship.
Creating a bridge between the airport and the plane
Dorothée Meilichzon's approach was to create cocoon-like spaces, small lounges where passengers can come and curl up. The atmosphere of the new departure lounge is harmonious thanks to the creation of a monumental fresco that can be found in various places. "It literally runs the length of the boarding hall and evokes an airport runway and its components seen from the air. You can easily recognise the ground markings that are useful for the smooth movement of planes," explains Dorothée Meilichzon.
This harmony is also reflected in the choice of fabrics used throughout the furniture. Maison Thévenon (Thévenon House) has specially produced a range of houndstooth fabrics that are strongly inspired by the air. The Plane Poule fabric, for example, has a surprise in store for keen observers: small stylised planes have been incorporated into an extremely hard-wearing jacquard! Different colours are used in the terminal's boarding room, emerald, slate or brass. These fabrics are available to the general public from Maison Thévenon.
To continue and go even further into the imagination, Dorothée Meilichzon has created a dreamlike and hushed aerial universe, which is made up of many elements: armchairs that recline, as in planes, the use of aluminum (which recalls the plane's cabins of yesteryear) for the creation of mushroom-shaped lamps typical of the 1920s, and the reuse and reappropriation of the trolleys used by the flight crew as... dustbins. The whole thing forms a cocoon and coherent whole.
Paris will always be Paris
In turn city of love, capital of the art of living, of gastronomy or even city of light, Paris is and will always be this city that the whole world envies us. To pay the most beautiful tribute to this capital, Dorothée Meilichzon has once again taken a step up to offer travellers a seasonal scenography like a mini Paris seen from the sky... with its gardens and fountains, its furniture, its monuments and its colors...
The emblematic Luxembourg Garden fountain is now at the heart of the boarding hall in terminal 2G. This real fountain is very round. The Luxembourg garden basin was originally round; it was only in 1635 that it was replaced by an octagonal basin by Le Nôtre. At Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, as in Paris city, is surrounded by the furniture that is so popular with Parisians, those landmarks in the urban landscape: metal chairs. Several seating options are available to passengers, from chairs to slightly reclining armchairs.
With a nod to the capital, terminal 2G is a showcase for its architecture. Several columns, symbols of the great Parisian boulevards, adorn the boarding hall. In addition, the green of grey (oxidised copper) is also very present and recalls the roofs of the greatest Parisian monuments - Grand Palais, Opéra Garnier.
Finally, giving a second or third life to objects has become commonplace. The same is true of design and interior architecture. Dorothée Meilichzon's project is resolutely Parisian, right down to the "chineries" ! The Saint Ouen flea market is in the spotlight, as are the objects and furniture elements that come from it: aluminium sunshades, giant sconces from the Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile (ENAC) and even suspension fixtures in the shape of an aircraft engine. The unusual is tinged with history and offers a welcoming dimension that perfectly highlights the Paris Aéroport signature: Paris loves you !
Art for all, in the midst of all
This new boarding hall is divided into different areas - for relaxation and games. Lovers of board games (chess, draughts, backgammon, etc.) will also be able to stroll around and indulge in the reverie of " À l'ombre des arbres" ("In the shade of trees"). This masterful sculpture is the work of French artists Jean-Marie and Marthe Simonnet (more commonly known as "Les Simonnet").
At the invitation of Gilbert Kann, curator of decorative arts furniture, it welcomes travelers from all over the world thanks to a clever assembly of modules that the artists designed and made in their Parisian workshop. Since 1970, the year they graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this couple of sculptors have been working and living together and devoting themselves exclusively to the creation and production of plastic works.
The first boarding lounge operated by Extime
Dorothée Meilichzon's project at Terminal 2G is an opportunity for the ADP Group to bring Groupe ADP's hospitality brand, Extime, to life for the first time. Extime, invited to Terminal 2G by Paris Aéroport, offers each traveller a timeless experience through its service, design and commercial offer.
Expressed in the boarding lounge, the brand intervenes at the moment when the passenger reconnects with the journey to come, when he is certain to have his plane. A moment of wonder, delicate attention and elegance: entering a boarding lounge designed by Extime is a special and unforgettable emotion for each passenger.
In Terminal 2G, Extime, invited by Paris Aéroport, offers a unique Parisian experience, providing a local touch to travellers from all over the world.
