The Duchess of Windsor, Diana Vreeland, Mona von Bismarck were all clients. Current collectors include Karl Lagerfeld and Catherine Deneuve. Among the fashion and jewelry set, the name is legendary. The designs, too — once revolutionary, they’re now utterly iconic.

We’re talking about jewelry designer Suzanne Belperron, who carved out her own sensual-yet-boldly audacious niche during the Art Deco era when linear elements and geometrics ruled. Belperron, who started her career at Boivin, helped usher in a more modern mode, all fluid lines, colorful gemstones and striking organic shapes.

Now, decades after Belperron launched her own line in the Thirties, the maison that bears her name has finally opened its first salon in New York. Helmed by the father-and-son duo of Ward and Nico Landrigan — who also relaunched Verdura — the firm enlisted famed architect Daniel Romualdez to design the space, which honors the Belperron history and sensibility while keeping an eye on the contemporary. Here, we learn the details of the new Belperron home on Fifth Avenue from Romualdez himself.

This project was unlike any other because…

For this project, we were creating a space for two very different occasions, which adds a level of complexity to the design process. The first was an exhibit for Verdura, which functioned as a museum with its primary focus on the display pieces. The second transformed the previous white box of the exhibition into a comfortable 1930’s Parisian apartment to recall the home of Madame Belperron.

My favorite part of the salon…

Of course, I can’t forget about the jewels themselves! It was such a pleasure to design with such beautiful pieces in mind. I love the library salon, with the stark contrast between the cozy books and the reflective mirror. We wanted to draw a parallel between the display of the books and accessories and the display of the jewelry itself to evoke a sense of both intimacy and elegance.

Inspirations behind the design details…

Our initial design inspiration came from the Belperron box; we took direct cues from her original packaging to compose the architecture and choose the finishes. We then researched her apartment and were influenced by her elaborate color combinations, present in the jewelry as well. Finally, we took one of her original sketches and magnified it on the walls of the entrance vestibule to introduce the visitor to her sculptural shapes and sense of scale upon arrival.