314
Current Issue

Jan/Feb 2026

#314
Jan/Feb 2026

The AZURE Houses issue returns in 2026 with stunning, innovative residential projects from Canada and around the world. Plus, we take a look at that seeming relic of the past: the mall.

Taking inspiration from nature, artists Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmermann, the duo behind French design studio Zim & Zou, have conjured two miniature worlds entirely out of paper for the Hermès window display in Dubai’s Mall of Emirates.

Wilderness reigns supreme in the vibrant little habitats of Forest Folk. In one, an Hermès-orange tree stump is topped with a village of toadstools, home to a community of minuscule creatures. In the other, towering lotus flowers set the scene for an enchanting microscopic city. In both, a sense of playful wonder captivates the attention of passers-by, inviting a lingering look into these imaginative creations that provide a curious backdrop for the brand’s upscale merchandise.

This is just the latest of the studio’s collaborations with Hermès. Two years ago Zim & Zou installed a series of animals crafted from leather in the windows of the brand’s Shanghai flagship, and in 2014, they designed a paper fox den, which was on view at the Barcelona boutique.

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