Irene Neuwirth and Studio Shamshiri bring magical realism to New York

Jewellery designer Irene Neuwirth’s whimsical world is brought to life in a new boutique created in collaboration with LA-based design firm Studio Shamshiri. The eclectic space on New York’s Madison Avenue encapsulates Neuwirth’s fantastical vision, her bold and colourful jewellery reflected in a hypnotising play of colour, texture and surrealist motifs.

A larger-than-life giraffe by Clare Crespo, at rest in the front window, sets the tone for the jewellery box of treasures inside. Studio founder Pamela Shamshiri – a Wallpaper* 2023 Design Awards judge, and behind the refresh of Ledgewood, a midcentury home in the Hollywood Hills – and Neuwirth looked to Henri Rousseau paintings to bring allegorical jungle themes to the Upper East Side, with a Californian irreverence, first seen in the Melrose Place, LA, store the duo collaborated on, running throughout.

Luxury and whimsy at Irene Neuwirth Madison Avenue

‘I would work with Pam and Studio Shamshiri on every single store I ever open,’ says Neuwirth on the design process. ‘What started as a professional relationship when I approached her to do Melrose Place, nine years ago, turned into a deep friendship. We travel together and are constantly sending inspiration back and forth. Pam really captures me and my brand in the perfect way. She strikes this very hard-to-describe balance between luxury and whimsy. Everything is playful but ultra-refined.’

It is a philosophy reflected in offbeat, custom elements – in a kidney bean-shaped sofa by Jouffre, in fringed chandeliers and a 14ft tall, hand-cast and hammered metal palm tree by artist Chris Wolston. ‘The location really pushed us to elevate the experience, yet keep it cosy and approachable,’ Neuwirth adds. ‘It was so fun to think about what the store should feel like in the middle of Madison Avenue, in our forever location. 

‘We decided early on to mix things up and collaborate with incredible artists and really push the limits of what was possible in an Upper East Side jewel box. A giraffe in the front window, a palm tree in the middle of the room. The way it all comes together feels magical – mesmerising but not overwhelming, and a perfect home for the jewels.’

Exquisite pieces of furniture, from a vintage ‘Lovers’ coffee table by Philip and Kelvin Laverne to a custom screen by Peter Pilotto and a vintage modernist table and chairs by Alessandro Mendini, invite customers to pause, imbuing the retail experience with a magical momentum. ‘My approach has always been inviting, whimsical, luxurious, colourful, so this was just a natural evolution. It’s just very, very elevated, very luxurious. We loved the idea of an Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole that a visitor would go down; experiencing the collection for the first time or coming back for the thousandth time, it should always feel new, inspiring and unexpected.’

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