Nestled in well-heeled Mayfair, jewellery designer Ara Vartanian’s recently opened Bruton Place boutique serves up a perfect slice of Brazil in London. Housed in a building that was once part of baron Maurice Saatchi’s home, the boutique is Vartanian’s first international foray.
Born in São Paolo to a family of jewellers, Vartanian originally pursued a career in finance before circling back to his calling in 2000. Known for his use of saturated gemstones – a nod to the vibrancy of his native Brazil – Vartanian has made his mark with inverted diamonds, double and three-finger rings, as well as his distinctive ‘hook’ earring design.
Vartanian enlisted longtime collaborator Estudio Tupi Architects to craft the store’s smouldering-dark interiors. ‘I want[ed] the store to follow the founding elements of the Brazilian showroom while introducing new aesthetics that follow London’s traditions,’ says the designer. ‘In other words, the space [is] a combination of the essence of the brand’s architecture with the concepts of creativity and beauty that London embodies.’
To wit, a béton brut-style, corrugated concrete wall dramatically leads into the boutique from the entrance. The six-tonne structure, made using a 1920s Brazilian construction technique, offers a bold architectural prelude to Vartanian’s fine jewels.
Inside, a haven of vintage and mid-century furniture awaits with pieces (all hand-selected by Vartanian himself) by the likes of José Zanine Caldas, Jorge Zalszupin and Sérgio Rodrigues plotted impeccably across the boutique. The showstopper is a spectacular table designed by Vartanian in collaboration with artist Hugo França. Together, the pair travelled to Bahia to source a 1000-year-old wood for the tabletop, while Vartanian devised the monolithic crystal leg.
The jeweller’s striking pieces are housed within delicate glass domes and cases, juxtaposed against a palette of rich woods and jet-black walls. Vartanian adds: ‘I wanted to align the architecture to one of the concepts behind the jewellery – that of “opposite elements”: the raw and the refined. A carved out concrete wall can be compared to an inverted diamond, it is rugged but designed with elegance.’
Left: the showstopper is a spectacular table designed by Vartanian in collaboration with artist Hugo França. Right: jewellery displays combine both Vartanian and França’s preferred mediums – wood and gemstones.
Left: the table leg was carved from crystal and developed by Vartanian. Right: França and Vartanian travelled to Bahia to source a 1000-year-old wood for the tabletop (detail pictured).
Sérgio Rodrigues' 'Mocha' stool cuts a dash through the sensual silhouette of Vartanian's custom-designed table.
Ara Vartanian yellow gold, white diamond and emerald hook earrings (left), and white gold, grey, smoky, ice and white diamond double finger ring (right)
Ara Vartanian rose gold, opal, grey and white diamond hook earrings (left), and yellow gold, black, brown and white diamond earrings (right)
Pieces by the likes of José Zanine Caldas, Jorge Zalszupin (pictured, his origami-inspired 'Andorinha' coffee table) and Sérgio Rodrigues are plotted impeccably across the boutique.
‘I wanted to align the architecture to one of the concepts behind the jewellery – that of “opposite elements”: the raw and the refined,' Vartanian says of the space. 'A carved out concrete wall can be compared to an inverted diamond, it is rugged but designed with elegance.’
Born in São Paolo to a family of jewellers, Vartanian has made his mark with inverted diamonds, double and three-finger rings, as well as his distinctive ‘hook’ earring design
INFORMATION
For more information visit Ara Vartanian’s website
ADDRESS
44 Bruton Place
Mayfair
London W1J 6PB
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