Spun gold: Chanel's fine watches and jewellery temple redefines luxury on New Bond Street
Behind its stucco heritage listed facade, over the past year and a half Chanel has quietly undertaken the ground-up gutting of its London horology and fine jewellery boutique.
Some six years in the planning, and overseen down to the placement of the last sheath of wheat by Peter Marino himself, the complete transformation sees the former boutique’s one floor of retail space bolstered to three, and lavished from floor-to-ceiling with a golden gleam.
This gilt jewellery box is the antithesis of the homogenised luxury chain store, with their stark display cabinets and stamped furnishings, replicated from Shanghai to Sydney. This lavish enclave feels more like a resplendent private residence made up of elegant drawing rooms than a commercial retail space. And in spite of the building’s slim width, Marino has smartly done away with the first floor altogether so that the ground floor opens up with double ceilings from which two magnificent Goossens ‘Couronne’ chandeliers hang.
This townhouse’s grand environs – from its tufted ‘tweed’ carpets to its smooth suede walls – are so sumptuous that even the megawatt jewellery on show seems perfectly at home dotted between the address’ contemporary artworks, gilt 18th century Venetian mirrors, 19th century Chinese rugs and antique Louis XV chairs.
Nodding to Mademoiselle Chanel’s Rue Cambon apartment, a crystal ball sits atop the founder’s preferred scroll-armed coffee table, while Coromandel screens from the Qing Dynasty (dating back to 1671) have been fixed to the ground floor’s walls, just as they are appointed in Coco Chanel’s private residence.
But antiques aside, the boutique’s design centrepiece is Goossens' ‘bijoux espace’ rock crystal and bronze staircase. The balustrade, which joins the two main salons, was made entirely by hand, and encircles the store’s bespoke glass lift. The house’s relationship with Goossens’ studio dates back to founder Robert Goossen’s work with Coco Chanel, while the business itself was acquired by Chanel in 2005.
At the crown of the building, and sporting sweeping views over Bond Street lies the house’s VIP salon, complete with a working bio fuel limestone fireplace and Goossens’ ‘Vendôme’ chandelier. This one may only be viewed by a select few sets of eyes, but then this store is all about layers of discovery: a place where antiquity meets audacity, and haute meets heritage.
With so much of London’s fine jewellery district currently under construction (De Grisogono is working with David Collins Studio and Van Cleef & Arpels with Jouin Manku), what is crystal clear is that Chanel has set the design bar in solid gold here.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
173 New Bond Street London W1S 4RF
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
First look: Vyrao’s latest neuroscientific fragrance bottles the grounding effect of a digital detox
Vyrao’s earthy new fragrance ‘Mamajuju’ provides sensory respite from screen time. Lara Johnson-Wheeler speaks with brand founder Yasmin Sewell for a Wallpaper* preview
By Lara Johnson-Wheeler Published
-
Kengo Kuma’s new Kyoto hotel is ‘a sanctuary of ethereal beauty’
A former ryokan inn, Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto offers onsen rooms equipped with natural hot spring water, and a contemporary take on a Noh theatre
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Frieze London 2024: everything to see and do
As London gears up for Frieze Week (7-13 October 2024), here are the must-sees inside and outside the fair
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
Chaumet, Cartier and Chanel up their high jewellery watch game for 2024
In 2024's high jewellery watch designs, performance tech and centuries-old techniques combine to brilliant effect
By Caragh McKay Published
-
Skeletonised watches are making a dazzling return in 2024
Skeletonised watches return, once again opening up their dials, letting us enjoy mechanical watchmaking at its intricate finest
By Thor Svaboe Published
-
Dark watches show it’s time to embrace an inky palette
Discover new dark watches from brands including Audemars Piguet, Omega, Chanel and Tudor
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Year in review: top 10 watch and jewellery stories of 2023, as picked by Wallpaper’s Hannah Silver
Silver’s top 10 watch and jewellery stories of 2023 span cool horological collaborations, sculptural forms, and cutlery as bracelets
By Hannah Silver Published
-
The odd couple: Chanel and Pomellato play with asymmetry in jewellery
Two jewellery houses, Chanel and Pomellato, take a new turn, toying with asymmetry to create organically opulent pieces
By Caragh McKay Published
-
Chanel unveils new Tweed de Chanel high jewellery
Chanel translates Gabrielle Chanel’s love of tweed into exquisite high jewellery
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Tiffany & Co opens redesigned New York store, The Landmark
Peter Marino and OMA New York, led by Shohei Shigematsu, are behind Tiffany & Co’s vast new Fifth Avenue flagship
By Hannah Silver Published
-
We’re pinning our hopes on Chanel’s new watch
The Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Pique-Aiguilles watch draws on the couture traditions of the house for its oversized design
By Hannah Silver Published