Fashion brand Bottega Veneta has opened a store on London’s Sloane Street that draws on materials, furniture and design techniques from Italy’s Veneto region.
Located at the base of a nine-storey 1920s red brick apartment complex, the store sits behind a white-rendered frontage with doric column-style detailings.
It was opened as the first store to implement Matthieu Blazy’s vision for the brand and its physical retail locations, following his appointment as Bottega Veneta’s creative director in 2021.
The interior was designed using materials, furniture and furnishings associated with the Veneto region where the brand was founded – the northeastern area of Italy that encompasses the land between the Dolomite Mountains and the Adriatic Sea and contains the city of Venice.
“Bottega Veneta’s identity is not only reflected in the furniture, but throughout the space, creating its uniquely warm atmosphere,” Bottega Veneta said of the store.
Upon entering the space, visitors are met by a largely open interior. This is zoned by four large, curved wooden volumes that were inserted at the centre of the store and introduce a loose symmetry to the division and organisation of the space.
These wooden volumes are constructed from dark wood and have a multi-faceted design, incorporating protruding elements and geometric cut-outs that are fitted with shelving for use as display areas for the brand’s accessories and footwear.
Beyond subtly zoning the ground floor of the store into three distinct areas, the wooden volumes also create a series of intimate spaces and rooms tucked behind, within and between each of their adjacent structures.
The floor of the store was blanketed in terrazzo, a material chosen for its ties to Venice, the brand said.
The movement of water informed the design of the terrazzo, which has an oscillating look that was achieved through the use of four different stones – Bardiglio, Carrara, Verde Alpi, and Grigio Carnico.
Louvred veined stone panels framed in a brassy metal trim line the front and rear of the store and provide additional depth and colour to the interior.
Where not used as decorative panelling, smaller brass-framed louvred panels are also used as mirrors that can be twisted and turned to reflect and face various parts of the store.
Woven sofas and armchairs nod to the Intrecciato woven accessories and garments that the brand has become known for. The furniture pieces were constructed from leather in hues of green, brown and black and paired with a forest green rug.
Sculpted wooden side tables and hard furnishings are scattered throughout the interior.
A staircase, tucked to the side of the store, is clad in the same stone that covers the floors and lined in glass and brass to tie it in with the structural fixtures that can be found throughout the interior.
At this year’s Milan design week, Bottega Veneta unveiled a collaboration with Italian designer Gaetano Pesce that saw him design his first-ever handbag.
Prior to their collaboration on accessories, Pesce created a swirling resin set comprised of 400 custom chairs and a pooling multi-coloured floor for Bottega Veneta’s Spring Summer 2023 show.
The photography is courtesy of Bottega Veneta.
