New Bond Street, in London‘s prestigious Mayfair district, is the setting for the new Louis Vuitton store designed by the creative mind of architect Peter Marino, a place full of vitality and visually overwhelming, more like a contemporary art gallery than a shop.
The exterior façade is an explosion of colour, represented by a multicoloured sculpture of the Louis Vuitton monogram.
Once inside, the explosion of colour translates into all the objects and details present, between art, fashion and design, we find over 43 works and custom-made installations.
The interior space is completely renovated, made wider by the removal of columns, and is divided into three communicating levels.
The architect explains his vision for the project, which stems from a collaboration with the brand that has lasted more than 20 years: “Volumetrically, we wanted to expand the existing space. We found that people spend more time in such majestic environments, so we removed the barriers and created double volume spaces in the women’s department. There are three double volumes in the store, measuring about 8 metres each, and a triple volume at the staircase, measuring 12 metres. These large volumes are only possible when you work with a brand that is so confident in its design, that it can remove square footage to give the feeling of wonder and luxury to visitors”.
At the entrance we find a chequered floor of stone and marble, recalling the motif of Vuitton’s iconic handbags.
Continuing through a gallery, the shop windows on New Bond Street are introduced to the interior.
The space features light wood and natural stone cladding, contrasting with sculptural details and brushstrokes of colour.
Here we find distinctive elements such as the light oak double helix staircase that complements the wood, resin and LED totems commissioned from artist Matt Gagnon, Josh Sperling‘s orange spiral wall piece, Aaron Curry‘s pink and orange maxi totem and Jim Lambie‘s optical staircase made especially for the store.
Moreover, the shop also houses numerous designer pieces and furniture. We find Cocoon chairs by Fratelli Campana cascading from the ceiling, Concertina Shade lamps by Raw Edges creating an impalpable and delicate “roof”, doors by Gaetano Pesce, designer tables such as Martino Gamper‘s Wom table, a table by Angelo Mangiarotti from the 1970s, Mario Bellini‘s Basilica Table for Cassina and Charlotte Perriand‘s 1958 sideboard, Atelier Oï‘s Origami flowers arranged in bouquets and their lively stools lined up in a veritable installation.
Info petermarinoarchitect.com
PROJECT Louis Vuitton New Bond Street
ARCHITECT Peter Marino
LOCATION Bond Street, London
YEAR 2019
PHOTO Stephane Muratet
