It’s always a good idea to make a retail statement in London, and that’s exactly what CELINE has done, expanding its portfolio of branded retail spaces in the British capital with its first standalone flagship store on New Bond Street. Occupying the former location of Smythson, a renowned British stationer and home accessories brand, the store measures 466 sqm. (5,016 sq.ft.) across two floors of a listed Edwardian building and features an interior design by the house’s creative director and elusive cult icon Hedi Slimane. While the building’s beautiful historic architectural elements have been retained, the settings are both distinctively contemporary and decidedly Slimane, and he has conjured up an eclectic yet sophisticated shopping bubble where fashion meets design meets art. The lofty ground floor, a grand showcase for the women’s collections, sees white stuccoed walls, ornate moulding and Ionic columns, and all anchored by dramatic black marble flooring.
Very much a Renaissance man, Slimane blends in modern elements, such as sleek wall-mounted metal shelving, cabinets of black metal and glass, and solid wooden stools in different shapes. But if you ask us, the brilliance of the design lies in the various art objects, all part of the CELINE Art Project, which the designer has masterfully interspersed, elevating the shopping experience to an entirely other level. Two years ago, CELINE launched its first fragrance collection, and unsurprisingly, it has been given a separate room with octagonal dimensions and opulently decorated to resemble a true treasure trove. The men’s floor is situated in the basement, and here, the aesthetic is similar yet somewhat pared back, featuring white walls and flooring of large granite tiles. Obviously, Slimane’s tight curation extends here as well, featuring a collection of furnishings presented as a homey seating area, but given the meticulous configuration, one may actually reconsider to sit back in between power shopping sprees.
Large-sized mirrors optically boost the dimensions of the subterranean space, while similar shelving and cabinets tie in with the setting on the ground floor. As said, the artwork on display is exceptional, and forms part of CELINE‘s growing art collection. Here at the London flagship store, works by a string of international artists are presented, and some have been specially commissioned to for this retail space and they’re mixed and matched with brutalist design pieces from Jean Touret or Verner Panton. The list of artists includes Nika Neelova, who created the suspended sculptural forms, crafted from reclaimed architectural features, on the ground floor, Asger Dubvad Larsen, Marie Lund and Leilah Babirye‘s life-size wooden statue, also to be found on the ground floor, Lukas Geronimas and Indrikis Gelzis. The new CELINE flagship store carries the full range of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, accessories, shoes, bags, small leather goods, eyewear, and as said, also fragrances.
CELINE
40 New Bond Street
London W1X 2RX
Telephone: +44 20 74918200
Mon-Sat 10am-7pm
Sun 12pm-6pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
