High above the Selfridges shop floor lies a world of luxury. In the upper levels of the historic London flagship, ‘VVSPs’ (‘Very Very Selfridges Persons’) and other top tiers of the retailer’s membership programme – from royalty and footballers to musicians and actors – conduct their personal shopping. As of today (9 April 2026), that offering has become significantly more exclusive.
Today marks the opening of 40 Duke, Selfridges’ most significant investment in a decade. Spanning 25,000 square feet, the space reimagines personal shopping as something more hybrid – less suite, more members’ club. Shopping is woven together with hospitality, cultural programming and social interaction: alongside 24 private shopping spaces, 40 Duke comprises a food and drink destination, an event area, a gallery, beauty studios, a concierge and much more.
The Lobby
‘We‘re trying to connect people to the culture behind the product,’ says Will Wyness, director of creative at Selfridges. ‘We love the idea that this is a space that customers can be shuttled up to, where they can be connected to the zeitgeist through the events and experiences we offer, the food, the chair they sit on, the curator we introduce them to.’
Wallpaper* takes a first look inside 40 Duke
40 Duke is accessed via a discreet entrance on Duke Street, with a further entrance connecting directly to private parking coming soon. Interior design was led by Simone McEwan and Sacha Leong of Nice Projects, in collaboration with Selfridges’ in-house teams, resulting in an environment that feels at once familiar and hyper-elevated. ‘We never want that Pretty Woman moment where everything feels too precious and you have to tiptoe around,’ says Wyness. ‘There‘s a casual approach to luxury that we‘re trying to execute.’
The Showcase, a display and event space fitted with vitrines for fine jewellery and luxury watches
Nice Projects’ spaces espouse a curated eclecticism. Materials – cork, stainless steel, marble, travertine and burl – define each environment, while bespoke elements lend a sense of singularity: rugs by Christopher Farr, leathers and textiles by Pierre Frey, and a kinetic light installation by Belgian practice Studio Élémentaires – orb-shaped forms moving in circles as though magnetised to a chrome ceiling. This attention to atmosphere goes even further: Selfridges worked with a music curator to programme sound across the spaces as well as commissioning a bespoke scent for 40 Duke.
Furniture has been sourced from distinguished names including Tecta, Finn Juhl, De Sede, Tacchini and Arflex, with communal-space selections made in collaboration with The Future Perfect. Crucially, customers can acquire pieces from the gallery’s selection, reflecting 40 Duke’s holistic philosophy: ‘As much as possible, we‘ve tried to create a space where almost everything is for sale,’ says Wyness. ‘A customer can sit on a chair and ask: can I buy this in another colour?’ Art, curated by Matt Williams of Camden Art Centre and formerly the ICA, operates similarly: ‘You can‘t buy the piece directly, but we can introduce customers through our curating service.’
The Salon, a lounge environment designed for conversation and informal consultations
The studios and suites
Each of the 24 studios and suites – where advisors outfit clients with made-to-measure fashion and early access to collections – occupies a unique palette, from powder blues to shocking corals, with no two exactly alike. Details abound: seamlessly foldaway surfaces, statement design objects in every space, and door numbers rendered in twisted candy canes of transparent glass – somewhat illegible but entirely worth it.
The Beauty Suites, dedicated spaces for beauty treatments
‘One of the big questions we had was: how do you design a space for both royalty and a singer?’ asks Wyness, gesturing at the breadth of the Selfridges clientele. The answer was two corridors of suites – one classic, one playful – allowing the space to accommodate any sensibility without compromise.
One of the personal shopping suites
Food, drink and the art of lingering
The Club Lounge, operated in partnership with Cellar Society, marking the luxury catering company’s first permanent restaurant, accommodates 64 covers anchored by a 16-seat bar. The offering extends across the main lounge, a private dining room and The Terrace – a tranquil retreat above the churn of Mayfair, outfitted by Cassina with archive pieces by Gio Ponti and Charlotte Perriand.
The multi-hyphenate nature of 40 Duke encourages lingering, deliberately blurring the boundaries between shopping, dining and leisure. Some VVSPs (who have unfettered access to 40 Duke; members from other tiers can access the space by appointment), says Wyness, will effectively ‘move in for a week’ – arriving with a coterie of 25 people, which explains the PlayStations in some of the suites.
The bar in the Club Lounge
A new standard
There is a story often told in Selfridges' personal shopping department: a certain Old Hollywood movie star (who they have asked not to be named) once came in for an appointment and asked for Twiglets with her champagne, initiating a frantic search across Mayfair.
It is this level of attentiveness that 40 Duke has been built to honour – and what makes it, ultimately, a statement of intent. At a moment when luxury retail is having to justify its physical existence, Selfridges is doubling down on the irreplaceable: human connection, genuine curation and the kind of unhurried, attentive experience that no algorithm can approximate.