Maison Assouline

Maison Assouline is the retail and hospitality concept of Assouline Publishing. Rather than functioning solely as a conventional bookstore, it combines art, fashion, design, travel and lifestyle publishing with curated objects, furniture, event programming and food-and-beverage experiences. Its first location opened in London in 2014 on Piccadilly, opposite the Royal Academy of Arts. The venue occupies a former banking hall associated with architect Edwin Lutyens and extends across three floors. Its design and programming position it between a bookstore, cultural salon, gallery, museum-like cabinet of curiosities and cocktail destination. The London Maison was conceived as an environment in which books could be experienced alongside objects and interiors drawn from different periods and regions. Assouline co-founder Alex Assouline described the concept as an oasis of culture built around books while also incorporating curated furniture and hospitality. The venue includes Swans Bar, which supports the location's role as an event and dining space as well as a retail shop. Since opening, it has hosted book launches, private parties, dinners, product presentations and other gatherings involving luxury, fashion, publishing and cultural brands. Maison Assouline's retail offer centers on Assouline's illustrated and collectible books, particularly titles addressing art, architecture, fashion, travel, design, food, hospitality and notable places. The stores also sell gift items and selected decorative or lifestyle objects. This combination supports Assouline Publishing's broader positioning of books as luxury cultural objects and as components of an interior or gifting experience. A second Maison Assouline opened in 2018 in the Fashion Avenue section of Dubai Mall in Dubai. Like the London location, the Dubai venue combines books, gifts, furniture and a Swans Bar. Martine Assouline characterized the Dubai store as the company's first culture concept store, indicating an ambition to make the format broader than a standard retail branch. The Dubai location also hosts pop-ups and presentations for exclusive Assouline items. The brand's visibility has been reinforced by collaborations and launches held at the London venue. Louis Vuitton used Maison Assouline for a 2015 presentation of Louis Vuitton Windows, while a 2019 dinner at the store marked a Christian Louboutin product launch. In 2025, Gucci launched Gucci: The Art of Silk at Maison Assouline, and Agostino Perrone, the Connaught's mixology director, presented Martini Icons there. These activities illustrate Maison Assouline's role as an event platform for luxury publishing and adjacent cultural or lifestyle brands. Maison Assouline remains a relatively focused physical retail concept rather than a broadly distributed standalone consumer brand. Publicly documented locations are concentrated in London and Dubai, and the concept operates under the Assouline Publishing organization. Its differentiation rests on the integration of premium books, distinctive interiors, cultural programming, hospitality and luxury-brand events.

Maison Assouline emerged as a physical extension of Assouline Publishing's luxury approach to books and cultural content. Its first documented location opened in London in 2014 on Piccadilly, opposite the Royal Academy of Arts. The store occupies a three-floor former banking hall designed by Edwin Lutyens, giving the venue an architectural identity distinct from a standard bookshop. The setting was developed to support retail, hospitality and cultural programming in one environment. The London concept was associated with Alex Assouline's vision of creating an oasis of culture organized around books but supplemented by furniture and objects selected from different eras and regions. The resulting format combined a bookshop with gallery-like displays, museum-inspired collections, a café or dining setting, a cocktail bar and an events venue. Swans Bar became an important part of the experience, enabling launches, private parties and dinners alongside normal retail activity. Maison Assouline's programming connected the venue to luxury fashion, design and publishing. In 2015, Louis Vuitton collaborated with the store on a presentation for Louis Vuitton Windows, installing 35 displays. In 2019, a dinner hosted by Condé Nast Traveller figures marked a Christian Louboutin product launch. These events demonstrated that the Maison could operate as a branded cultural venue as well as a retail destination. The concept expanded internationally in 2018 when a second location opened in Dubai Mall's Fashion Avenue. The Dubai Maison reproduced key elements of the London model, including books, gifts, furniture and a Swans Bar. Martine Assouline described the Dubai store as the company's first culture concept store, reflecting the format's broader ambition to combine publishing, lifestyle retail and hospitality. The Dubai location has also hosted pop-ups connected to exclusive Assouline products. In 2025, the London location continued to serve as a platform for luxury-brand and cultural launches. Gucci presented Gucci: The Art of Silk there, and Agostino Perrone introduced the Martini Icons show. These later events reinforced Maison Assouline's identity as a meeting point for premium publishing, fashion, design, hospitality and cultural promotion. Publicly documented information identifies two flagship locations, in London and Dubai. Maison Assouline operates under Assouline Publishing and is best understood as a specialized bookstore and concept-store brand rather than an independent mass-market bookseller. Its distinctive proposition is the integration of collectible books with physical surroundings, curated objects, hospitality and event-led cultural experiences.

• 2025

  Gucci: The Art of Silk launch

  [1]Maison Assoulineen.wikipedia.org

  Gucci launched Gucci: The Art of Silk at the London Maison Assouline.

• 2025

  Martini Icons debut

  [1]Maison Assoulineen.wikipedia.org

  Agostino Perrone debuted the Martini Icons show at the London Maison Assouline.

• 2019

  Christian Louboutin launch event

  [1]Maison Assoulineen.wikipedia.org

  The London venue hosted a dinner connected with a Christian Louboutin product launch.

• 2018

  Dubai location opened

  [1]Maison Assoulineen.wikipedia.org

  Maison Assouline opened its second location in Fashion Avenue at Dubai Mall.

• 2015

  Louis Vuitton Windows launch collaboration

  [1]Maison Assoulineen.wikipedia.org

  Louis Vuitton used the London Maison Assouline for a presentation of Louis Vuitton Windows featuring 35 displays.

• 2014

  First Maison Assouline opened in London

  [1]Maison Assoulineen.wikipedia.org

  The first Maison Assouline opened on Piccadilly opposite the Royal Academy of Arts in a three-floor former banking hall designed by Edwin Lutyens.

A luxury cultural bookstore and concept-store experience combining collectible publishing, curated interiors, cultural events and hospitality.

• Books

  Assouline illustrated books

  Maison Assouline's core retail offer consists of visually rich Assouline publications. The books cover subjects including art, fashion, architecture, design, travel, food, hospitality and notable destinations. They are presented as collectible cultural and lifestyle objects rather than only utilitarian reading material, fitting the brand's premium retail environment and gifting orientation.

• Home and lifestyle

  Curated furniture and objects

  The Maison concept includes furniture, decorative pieces and other objects selected to complement the publishing offer. The documented concept emphasizes objects from varied eras or regions, helping the stores function as curated interiors and cabinets of curiosities in addition to book retailers.

• Hospitality

  Swans Bar

  Swans Bar is the hospitality component associated with Maison Assouline locations. In London and Dubai it supports the concept's combination of retail, cocktails, dining and cultural events. The bar helps distinguish the Maison format from a conventional bookstore and provides a setting for launches, parties and private gatherings.

• Events

  Book launches and cultural events

  Maison Assouline provides physical space for book launches, luxury-brand presentations, dinners, pop-ups and private events. Documented users include Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin and Gucci. These events extend the brand's role from retailer to cultural and experiential platform.

• 2025Gucci: The Art of Silk

  United Kingdom

  Gucci launched Gucci: The Art of Silk at the London Maison Assouline.

  Outcome. The launch connected Maison Assouline with Gucci's fashion, art and publishing activity.

  Source
• 2025Martini Icons

  United Kingdom

  Agostino Perrone, mixology director at The Connaught, debuted the Martini Icons show at Maison Assouline.

  Outcome. The presentation highlighted the venue's connection to premium drinks culture and experiential programming.

  Source
• 2019Christian Louboutin launch dinner

  United Kingdom

  A dinner at Maison Assouline celebrated a Christian Louboutin product launch and was hosted by Condé Nast Traveller editor Melinda Stevens and fashion director Martha Ward.

  Outcome. The event reinforced Maison Assouline's role as a hospitality and luxury-brand activation venue.

  Source
• 2015Louis Vuitton Windows

  United Kingdom

  Louis Vuitton collaborated with the London Maison Assouline to present Louis Vuitton Windows through 35 displays.

  Outcome. The event demonstrated the venue's use as a luxury publishing and brand-presentation space.

  Source

• 2018

  Expansion of the Maison concept to DubaiStrategy

  Background

  After establishing the first Maison in London, Assouline Publishing expanded the concept to Dubai Mall's Fashion Avenue.

  Action taken

  The company opened a second location combining books, gifts, furniture, hospitality and pop-up programming.

  Aftermath

  The Dubai store became the second publicly documented flagship and was described as the company's first culture concept store.

  Source

1. 1Maison Assoulineen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Maison Assouline official pageassouline.com