Pollini Flagship Store
2012
Milan, Italy
with Craftwork Studio Ltd
Respecting the existing 18th-century neoclassical building in which the new store is situated was both a necessity and a foundation for the shop’s design. The project began by stripping the building back to its essential and basic forms, creating a simple yet striking backdrop that highlights the Pollini brand. Bespoke wall displays, both sculptural and graphic, were designed to provide maximum flexibility for visual merchandising. Double fins project from the walls, supporting sleek, impossibly thin shelves, while individual freestanding totem displays add an additional sculptural layer for showcasing products.The original façade was preserved, but an existing window was converted to a full-height opening, creating clear sightlines into the store from the street. The existing entrance has been transformed into a large glazed vitrine, while the central window on the façade has been extended and altered into a glazed door, establishing a new centrally located entrance.
In accordance with conservation guidelines, all interior structural walls were preserved, dividing the space into separate rooms connected by arched doorways. Once stripped back to its essentials, the walls were painted a crisp white, and the floors were finished in a custom parquet pattern. This pattern was further developed into a striking graphic design for a new carpet in one of the rooms, which overlooks a charming courtyard. Lighting sets the ambiance and emphasizes the products as the main focus. Woven silk screens behind the wall displays create subtle graduations of shadow and highlight, forming a dynamic, layered backdrop. Spotlighting within both the wall elements and the totems gives the impression that the light is emanating directly from the products. The overall lighting scheme follows the graphic pattern and rhythm of the floor, with recessed lights in the ceiling.
