Apple re-opens London flagship with a new look by Foster + Partners
Apple’s UK flagship store on London’s Regent Street has re-opened after an extensive overhaul by Foster + Partners. The brand's inaugural European store, it's now the first on the continent to adopt Apple’s new retail format, unveiled in San Francisco in May this year. The new look will now be rolled out across all the brand's European flagships.
Apple is adamant that the new store designs will be less formulaic and more site-specific, especially when housed in historic buildings. Part of the mezzanine level of the Regent Street store has been removed to create a double height grand hall, bringing more natural light into the store and revealing the grand arches of the façade. It has also opened up enough space to introduce 12 Ficus Alii trees. The mezzanine level is now accessed by twin staircases, with handrails hand-carved into the store’s stone walls. The store will also feature what Apple says is the longest luminous ceiling panel in the world.
The Union Square design put more emphasis on the Apple store as public space and what Foster + Partners calls 'civic generosity'. Regent Street includes many of the same innovations including an area tagged the Forum, anchored by a large video wall, which offers talks and classes on photography, music and art, while the Boardroom offers advice from app developers and entrepreneurs to budding startups.
The Regent Street store has served 60 million customers since it opened 12 years ago and helped spur a regeneration of what was a tired run of tourist-centric retail. Foster + Partners collaborated with Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple’s chief design officer, and Angela Ahrendts, VP of retail and online stores, on the new store concept. 'Like many great cities, London’s historic architecture has great significance to the community,' Ive says. 'On Regent Street we preserved the incredible exterior façade while opening up the interior of the store to enhance the transparency and flood the space with natural light. By choosing materials sympathetic to the historic nature of the building, we’re able to modernise the space while remaining authentic to its surrounds.'
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Apple website
ADDRESS
Apple
235 Regent Street
London, W1B 2EL
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Architectural gardens around the world to soothe the soul
From small domestic gardens, to nature reserves, urban interventions and local parks, here are some of the finest green projects that place nature at their heart
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Corfu hotel Domes Miramare redefines beachfront bliss
Make like Jackie O at Corfu hotel Domes Miramare, a property with contemporary luxury and echoes of 1960s glamour in spades
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Art Basel Hong Kong 2024: what to see
Art Basel Hong Kong 2024 sees the fair back bigger and better than ever. Navigate the highlights with our guide
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Apple Vision Pro: exclusive interview with the Apple Design Team
Apple Vision Pro – available today in the US – is a wearable spatial computer that blends the digital with the physical, heralding a whole new platform for experiencing technology
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
What’s new from Apple: iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 make their debut
Apple cuts the cord with its isolationist past by joining the USB-C party. Other enhancements and upgrades ensure the new iPhones remain the photographer’s choice
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Linn Sondek LP12-50 turntable: LoveFrom gives a minimalist classic new spin
Linn teams up with Jony Ive’s LoveFrom to craft the ultimate in vinyl revival, a limited edition of its classic Sondek LP12 turntable, marking its half-century
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Apple Design Awards 2023 celebrate the work of iOS app developers
Apple Design Awards 2023 exclusive: as Apple rewards developers for the quality of their App Store wares, we showcase three standout apps and reveal all 12 winners
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Will Apple Vision Pro usher in a new world of spatial computing?
All eyes are on Apple’s first foray into augmented reality. Apple Vision Pro promises to bring us a new world of work and play
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘Make Something Wonderful’ is the first publication from the Steve Jobs Archive
The ultimate exploration of a singular mind, ‘Make Something Wonderful’ is Steve Jobs in his own words
By Sarah Douglas Published
-
Horse around: playful equestrian codes rule in Apple and Hermès’ new collaboration
The Apple Watch Hermès Series 8 imbues Hermès’ heritage with a playful design
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Behind the glassy façade of Apple’s newest London store lies an AR art wonderland
Artists Tin Nguyen and Ed Cutting have created ‘United Visions’, an augmented reality world for Apple’s Brompton Road store that brings the chaotic inner world of poet William Blake to life
By Nick Compton Last updated