Tucked between New Bond Street and the Royal Academy, running from Piccadilly through to Burlington Gardens, London’s Burlington Arcade is an ornate slice of retail history.
The covered gallery, designed by Samuel Ware and built in 1819, has been rebuilt and updated many times over the course of its 196-year existence but despite this, its appearance has remained largely unchanged; intricately-detailed arches span its entire length (it’s over two football pitches-long) separating each of its 17 bays, while light floods in through a vaulted glass ceiling. Beautiful as it is, the Regency arcade is a small-scale shopping concept that has become increasingly outdated - two similar arcades recently closed their doors for good in Knightsbridge - unable to compete with the flagships and shopping centres that surround it.
Determined to save Burlington from the same fate, its owner Meyer Bergman has been busy attracting a smart new team of tenants - Chanel Beaute, Eres, Maison Michel, Barrie and Frederic Malle have all set up shop - and have also been working with London architect Jamie Fobert, on a spectacular new floor.
Originally paved with thick austere slabs of York stone, the arcade’s floor was replaced in the 1960s and then the 1990s with a somewhat jarring terrazzo tile. Then in 2011, a glossy, but doomed proposal by Peter Marino provoked an outpouring of protest from retailers and customers. ‘Our goal was to design a floor that was contemporary on one hand but also grew out of the history of the place,’ says Fobert of his spiraling new design. Made from thousands of intricately cut pieces of dark British stone - comprising Burlington Slate Cumbria, Moorcroft Somerset, Ashburton Devon and Mendip Marble Somerset - the floor takes its design cues from the geometry of the arcade’s architecture and various 19th century British floor patterns. ‘It’s such a bizarre proposition for an architect to be asked to work with a space that’s 4 x 220 metres, and to do just a floor,’ says Fobert. ‘It was a great opportunity.’
After months of detailed research and experimentation, Fobert settled on a rhythmic, interlocking, three dimensional design that reflects the variety of the arcade’s curvilinear forms found on the arches and grill work. The stone was cut and dry laid in Italy - the only country with the expertise and laser technology required - before being shipped to London and laid by Tudor Stonework. A complex but subtle design, the dark stonework manages to flatter all of the existing shopfronts, appearing blue, green, brown and red all at once.
‘What I really like in our work is ambiguity. If we did something really modern it would be in sharp contrast to its surroundings. What’s great about this, is that most people will come in and think it’s from 1820,’ enthuses Fobert. ‘If people walk in and they don’t even notice it, that would be perfect for me. The floor shouldn’t compete with the arcade, it’s there to make it feel just that bit more luxurious.’
As well as an advanced non-slip coating, another practical benefit of the new floor is the abolishment of the stepped entrance, which has been replaced by a gently sloping ramp - a small change but one that has proved to be life-changing for one of the Burlington’s most loyal customers, who can now, every day, manoeuvre her wheelchair into the arcade completely unaided.
Tucked between New Bond Street and the Royal Academy, running from Piccadilly through to Burlington Gardens, London’s Burlington Arcade is an ornate slice of retail history
The covered gallery, designed by Samuel Ware and built in 1819, has been rebuilt and updated many times over the course of its 196-year existence but despite this, its appearance has remained largely unchanged; intricately-detailed arches span its entire length separating each of its 17 bays, while light floods in through a vaulted glass ceiling
Originally paved with thick austere slabs of York stone, the arcade’s floor was replaced in the 1960s and then the 1990s with a somewhat jarring terrazzo tile. Then in 2011, a glossy, but doomed proposal by Peter Marino provoked an outpouring of protest from retailers and customers
‘Our goal was to design a floor that was contemporary on one hand but also grew out of the history of the place,’ says Fobert of his spiraling new design
Paper artist Zoe Bradley has created two floral chandelier installations handcrafted from paper that are currently on display in the Arcade
Made from thousands of intricately cut pieces of dark British stone - comprising Burlington Slate Cumbria, Moorcroft Somerset, Ashburton Devon and Mendip Marble Somerset - the floor takes its design cues from the geometry of the arcade’s architecture and various 19th century British floor patterns
‘It’s such a bizarre proposition for an architect to be asked to work with a space that’s 4 x 220 metres, and to do just a floor,’ says Fobert. ‘It was a great opportunity'
ADDRESS
Burlington Arcade
51 Piccadilly
London W1J 0QJ
-
Why champagne pairs beautifully with fine foodMaison Krug unites champagne with decadent cuisine in the latest edition of its ‘Single Ingredient’ adventure, in collaboration with globally renowned Michelin-starred chefs who enhance the flavours and aromas of Krug Grande Cuvée or Krug Rosé
-
Australian surf culture merges with the charm of the Mediterranean at Il DelfinoIl Delfino, designed by Sheree Commerford, is a restored 1940s seaside inn nestled on the Yamba coastline in Australia
-
Meet Scotland's best new building: The Burrell Collection wins Doolan 2024The Doolan 2024 award crowns The Burrell Collection in Glasgow as Scotland's finest building this year, celebrating its comprehensive recent refurbishment
-
One to Watch: Family Project’s ‘furniture friends’ are elegant and humorous with lasting emotional valueFamily Project, founded by Francesco Paini, is a London-based design practice drawn to human connection, creating portraiture through furniture and injecting artful expressions into interior spaces
-
‘There are hidden things out there, we just need to look’: Studiomama's stone animals have quirky charmStudiomama founder's Nina Tolstrup and Jack Mama sieve the sands of Kent hunting down playful animal shaped stones for their latest collection
-
Martino Gamper creates a joyful tapestry of colour, pattern and eras in an immersive showcase'I'm always interested in what is considered kitsch, what is considered contemporary, what is ugly, what is beautiful—it's a subtle line'. Martino Gamper‘ presents 'Before; After & Beyond’
-
Pierre Jeanneret’s Chandigarh furniture meets South Asian diasporic art in an unusual London exhibitionRajan Bijlani opens a show combining Pierre Jeanneret furniture for the Indian city of Chandigarh with works for sale by six artists of South Asian origin – in his own London townhouse
-
Mud celebrates turning 30 with a new Islington storeTo celebrate its 30th anniversary Mud opens a new Islington store, showcasing its Australian ceramics where beautiful design meets utility
-
PAD London’s 16th edition is a blisteringly optimistic case for human achievementAt PAD London, collectible design is more than rarefied furniture; it is a compelling case for the uplifting power of craftsmanship at the dawn of the AI revolution
-
‘Natural gold’ straw weaving by Hanny Newton wins the inaugural QEST Sanderson rising star award'I have been passionate and driven to champion straw embroidery as an exquisite, sustainable “natural gold”’: rising star Hanny Newton on winning the inaugural award
-
Lucienne Day’s lesser-known silk textiles are a splendour of geometry and colour at Margaret HowellMargaret Howell presents British designer Lucienne Day’s 'Silk Mosaics' in a solo exhibition, alongside the launch of the brand's 2025 calendar in homage to Day
