Welcome to explore our Paris showroom
When customers first step inside the Secto Design France showroom on the Champs-Élysées, their reactions are often similar. “At first, they are surprised that we have a showroom in Paris. Then they admire the warm and cosy atmosphere,” says Sales Director Heidi Leonela who is responsible for the French market of Secto Design.
Having a permanent presence in Paris is quite rare for a Finnish design company. Secto Design has been in the French market for almost 20 years, but the showroom was not inaugurated until 2022. The space is open to all partners, customers and designers on weekdays by appointment – and visitors are welcome to bring their own clients along.
“Although we recommend booking an appointment, you can also simply walk in to explore the showroom.” Visitors to the gallery are greeted with personal service and all the Secto Design lamp models. The cosy atmosphere of the showroom is created above all by the warm light glowing through the wooden slats of the lamp shades.
Wooden Secto Design lamps combined with a wooden interior lend a warm and cosy atmosphere to the Paris showroom.
“It is a completely different story to look at the lamps in a magazine or on a screen than to experience them live, to touch and feel the material and discover the high quality of the craftsmanship first-hand,” says Heidi Leonela. This also makes it easier to visualise the various possible ways in which the lamps can be used in the interior to create different atmospheres.
In addition to Heidi, the team in France consists of Chris Söderlund, who welcomes visitors and manages all showroom and back-office-related matters, and Elin Jeanette Kohlin, who is responsible for all commercial relationships with our new and old partners. Their goal is to deliver individualised service to customers. “Our first priority is to listen. Once we have an idea of where the customer’s project is at, we can offer products that fit within that framework.”
Secto Design lamps are suitable for both private and public spaces. In France, they can be found not only in homes, but also hotels, restaurants, shopping centres and offices. Image: Wildlife park & Hotel EcoZonia. Cases de Pène, France. Photo by EcoZonia.
Other common topics of discussion include the sustainability and environmental impact of the products. “A wide variety of green product labels are used in France, so some people are sceptical and easily suspect greenwashing. But when we tell them about the verifiably fact-based approaches of Secto Design, they are impressed.”
Secto Design lamps are made from premium, certified Finnish birch, a renewable, carbon-binding material. French people are often surprised to hear that the lamps are handmade at our own factory in Finland. Another surprise is the fact are the short times even in larger projects.
The Paris showroom also serves as a meeting place for friends of Secto Design and Scandinavian design and will host cocktail parties and events, for example during Paris Design Week, in the run-up to Christmas and before summer.
Our power team in France, Heidi Leonela, Chris Söderlund and Elin Jeanette Kohlin, offer a warm welcome to all new and old friends who are interested in our lamps.
In September 2024, the showroom features our new model, Kumulo, and designer Seppo Koho and founder Tuula Jusélius from Secto Design talk about their unique collaboration to French reporters.
Heidi Leonela mentions that clean Scandinavian lines are becoming increasingly common in French interiors. “Then again, the timelessness of Secto Design lamps makes them suitable for a variety of spaces; for instance, we recently had an inquiry about using them in the interior of an old French castle to create a subtle contrast.”
Secto Design showroom, 34 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris, France. Open by appointment, tel. +33 6 18 76 05 21. Bienvenue!
Located on the Champs-Élysées near the Franklin D. Roosevelt station of the Paris Métro, our Paris showroom is easy to reach. The showroom is located at street level when entering the gallery.
