Located opposite the V&A Museum in London’s vibrant Museum District, the space encompasses 700sqm over two floors linked by a dramatic staircase.
Vincent Van Duysen’s concept was to symbolise a life marked by Italian flair with the intimacy of a private home to showcase the luxury furniture company’s two brands Molteni&C and Dada.
The new architectural design is faithful to the original features of the building: it has maintained its sense of space and preserved the perception of its original design from the late 1800s.
The separating walls subdivide generous volumes, interspersed by tall travertine marble-clad portals.
A breath-taking entrance, built on an inner door opens on to two floor-to-ceiling glass screens before a magnificent staircase appears, the walnut cladding of which complements the travertine marble steps.
Visitors are guided by a lighting along a pathway featuring different spatial, material and stylistic sensations.
As art director of the project, Vincent Van Duysen introduced distinctive elements such as the partitions between the rooms and the winter gardens, brimming with plants.
Sophisticated materials, the warm, golden colours of the travertine marble and walnut complement with various shades of warm and bone greys.
The theme of alternating perceptions also features in the choice of finishes for the suspended wooden ceilings, made both flat and with Korean walnut beams.
The lower floor, defined by a cornice of structural niches, individually lit and furnished like the wings of a theatre, is accessed by the downward staircase, and it opens into a large living-room featuring the Turner sofa, Gio Ponti’s D.156.3 armchairs and the Password system plus the new AVA bookcase by Foster+Partners.
To celebrate the opening, the new London store in Brompton Road will display a series of works by contemporary artists including Giuseppe Buzzotta; Alessandro Dandini de Sylva; Cleo Fariselli; Emiliano Maggi; Matteo Nasini; and Vincenzo Schillaci.
The WIN Awards showcase the very best global creativity and talent in interior design across categories covering interior products, practice and projects as well as branding concepts. The full list of winners of the WIN Awards 2018 is here.