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    Italian modernist architecture informs Bottega Veneta store in historic Milan galleria

    Fashion house Bottega Veneta has opened a boutique designed by its creative director Matthieu Blazy inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade in Milan.

    Bottega Veneta’s two-storey store is distinguished by three primary materials: glass, Italian walnut and green Verde Saint Denis marble.
    A spiral staircase greets shoppers at the Bottega Veneta store in MilanThis trifecta is applied in strict grids to evoke Italian modernism and provide an organising principle in the various rooms.
    “There are different experiences of space in the store,” said Blazy. “I wanted to express the idea of a domestic interior referring to Italian modernist architecture that contrasts with the aesthetic of a spaceship and to capture the intimacy and the imagination of getting dressed.”
    Grids are used throughout the store to organise materialsFrom the galleria, shoppers are greeted by a dramatic spiral staircase made entirely from Italian walnut – a material used throughout the interior as panelling, modular shelving and furniture.

    Green marble is laid in squares across the floors, separated by strips of walnut and occasionally swapped for larger patches of dark green wool carpet.
    Glass blocks are integrated into the walls and ceilingsSquare glass blocks are similarly arranged into grids across walls and ceilings, illuminated from behind to produce a soft warm glow throughout the store.
    Green leather chairs and benches are accompanied by custom rounded wood tables and stools to form lounge areas.
    “Throughout the space, soft textures are found in leather seating and wool carpets, while modular shelving units build a sense of discovery and play,” Bottega Veneta said.
    The fitting rooms feature leather niches that provide a place to sitFitting rooms are fully lined in walnut, except for leather-wrapped niches that provide a small seat, giant mirrors with built-in lighting and more green carpet.
    Sculptural polished metal elements form the door pulls and clothes hooks, their smooth surfaces contrasting with the more textured golden planters and entrance handles.

    Bottega Veneta channels Veneto design sensibilities at Sloane Street store

    On the upper level, recesses formed by the Galleria’s arched windows provide nooks for seating and plants, as places to look out onto the highly decorative arcade.
    Designed in 1861 by architect Giuseppe Mengoni, the neo-classical Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of Milan’s most desirable shopping destinations.
    Polished metal sculptures form door pulls and clothing hooks in the fitting roomsThe four-storey, glass-vaulted double arcade is located in the city centre, close to other landmarks like the Duomo and the Teatro alla Scala.
    The new Bottega store is the latest to open under Blazy since he took the reigns of the luxury brand in 2021, following locations on London’s Sloane Street and the Avenue Montaigne in Paris.
    The new store is located in the historic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcadeFor the brand’s Spring Summer 2023 runway show, Bottega Veneta collaborated with Italian designer Gaetano Pesce, who envisioned a colourful resin-covered floor and 400 bespoke cotton-and-resin chairs for the set.
    Pesce later went on to create a pair of handbags for the brand, which were designed to suggest different bucolic landscapes.
    The photography is courtesy of Bottega Veneta.

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    Bottega Veneta channels Veneto design sensibilities at Sloane Street store

    Fashion brand Bottega Veneta has opened a store on London’s Sloane Street that draws on materials, furniture and design techniques from Italy’s Veneto region.

    Located at the base of a nine-storey 1920s red brick apartment complex, the store sits behind a white-rendered frontage with doric column-style detailings.
    The store is located on Sloane StreetIt was opened as the first store to implement Matthieu Blazy’s vision for the brand and its physical retail locations, following his appointment as Bottega Veneta’s creative director in 2021.
    The interior was designed using materials, furniture and furnishings associated with the Veneto region where the brand was founded – the northeastern area of Italy that encompasses the land between the Dolomite Mountains and the Adriatic Sea and contains the city of Venice.
    It is the first store under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy”Bottega Veneta’s identity is not only reflected in the furniture, but throughout the space, creating its uniquely warm atmosphere,” Bottega Veneta said of the store.

    Upon entering the space, visitors are met by a largely open interior. This is zoned by four large, curved wooden volumes that were inserted at the centre of the store and introduce a loose symmetry to the division and organisation of the space.
    It was inspired by the Veneto regionThese wooden volumes are constructed from dark wood and have a multi-faceted design, incorporating protruding elements and geometric cut-outs that are fitted with shelving for use as display areas for the brand’s accessories and footwear.
    Beyond subtly zoning the ground floor of the store into three distinct areas, the wooden volumes also create a series of intimate spaces and rooms tucked behind, within and between each of their adjacent structures.

    Gaetano Pesce designs his first-ever handbag for Bottega Veneta

    The floor of the store was blanketed in terrazzo, a material chosen for its ties to Venice, the brand said.
    The movement of water informed the design of the terrazzo, which has an oscillating look that was achieved through the use of four different stones – Bardiglio, Carrara, Verde Alpi, and Grigio Carnico.
    Terrazzo covers the floor of the storeLouvred veined stone panels framed in a brassy metal trim line the front and rear of the store and provide additional depth and colour to the interior.
    Where not used as decorative panelling, smaller brass-framed louvred panels are also used as mirrors that can be twisted and turned to reflect and face various parts of the store.
    Dark wood volumes divide the space in the storeWoven sofas and armchairs nod to the Intrecciato woven accessories and garments that the brand has become known for. The furniture pieces were constructed from leather in hues of green, brown and black and paired with a forest green rug.
    Sculpted wooden side tables and hard furnishings are scattered throughout the interior.
    Woven leather furniture is used throughoutA staircase, tucked to the side of the store, is clad in the same stone that covers the floors and lined in glass and brass to tie it in with the structural fixtures that can be found throughout the interior.
    At this year’s Milan design week, Bottega Veneta unveiled a collaboration with Italian designer Gaetano Pesce that saw him design his first-ever handbag.
    Prior to their collaboration on accessories, Pesce created a swirling resin set comprised of 400 custom chairs and a pooling multi-coloured floor for Bottega Veneta’s Spring Summer 2023 show.
    The photography is courtesy of Bottega Veneta.

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