Unlocking Messy Nessy's Cabinet
PRIVATE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN PARIS
Immersive experience design & dramaturgy by Mélanie Esther Dorey
Created for Messy Nessy’s Cabinet
On rue de Bièvre, an old key opens the door to a world of curious objects, forgotten addresses and unexpected stories. Created for the opening of Messy Nessy’s Cabinet’s new space, this experience invited guests to explore the Paris that lives between the pages of guidebooks.
A concierge welcomed visitors into the Cabinet’s mythology. Beyond the boutique, a reader of Parisian signs offered each guest a role — Explorer or Observer — and a card to accompany their journey. In the archive, an Archivist gathered their discoveries around a shared map of the city. Through conversations and keepsakes, guests contributed their own fragments of Paris to the collection.
CREATIVE PROCESS & EXPERIENCE DESIGN
Developed with Vanessa Grall, the experience translated Messy Nessy’s editorial universe into a live encounter across three interconnected spaces: the boutique, the Rabbit Hole and the archive.
My work brought together narrative development, character writing, guest journey design, performer direction and the co-creation of printed props and symbolic takeaways. Each element grew from the Cabinet’s identity, extending its stories into gestures, objects and conversations.
CREDITS
Commissioned by
Messy Nessy’s Cabinet
Experience Design, Dramaturgy & Event Production
Mélanie Esther Dorey
Creative direction
Vanessa Grall
Performers
Paul, the Concierge — Jonathan Chaboissier
Zelda, the Reader — Laure Millet
Nelly, The Archivist — Houdia Ponty
Photography
Tom McGeehan
Paris · September 2026