Velvet and mohair-lined walls, plush amber carpets and shimmering surfaces create a distinctly retro mood in Fendi’s newly refurbished Sloane Street outpost by Dimore Studio. Run by Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran, Dimore Studio first collaborated with the Roman fashion house in 2014, launching a collection of design pieces for Fendi at Design Miami.
This quickly led to the Milan-based studio crafting the much-acclaimed Fendi apartment, which was installed above the label’s Rome Palazzo in 2016. ‘It’s the freedom Fendi allows us,’ enthuses Moran, explaining why the relationship works. ‘It’s the knowledge of sharing the same idea of luxury; we both demand excellence in craftsmanship and attention to detail.’
This year, the love affair continues as Dimore Studio unveils its first boutique for the brand, which is unsurprisingly the Italian fashion house’s most opulent to date. More like a salon than a store, Dimore’s inaugural Fendi outpost builds upon the late 1960s and 70s aesthetic that the studio perfected at the Fendi apartment in Rome, but this time with a dash of tropical colonialism added in.
‘Our vision for the space was to create a chic and luxurious Roman aristocratic apartment injected with a sophisticated contemporaneity,’ says Moran. ‘There are elements inspired by the late 60s and 70s and the designs of Paul Evans, Pierre Paulin and Gae Aulenti.’
Women’s accessories and bags are displayed on thick, brass and plexiglass shelves and back-lit with parchment on the ground floor
Spread across two floors, the apartment-like store features rounded edges, soft textures and warm colours. Smooth textile-covered walls abound, floors are edged with onyx marble – a nod to exotic travel – while ceilings are made from light pink Plexiglass prisms or oxidised alpaca. Downstairs, women’s accessories and bags are displayed on thick, brass and plexiglass shelves and back-lit with parchment. Upstairs, ready-to-wear and fur pieces hang on the walls, backlit by a window with luxurious silk-fringed curtains.
The two floors are connected by a show-stopping staircase featuring double height mohair and velvet walls and a bannister lined with wedge-shaped panels made from various metals that echo the geometric rugs that are used throughout the ground floor. Upstairs, the floor is divided into two, with men’s and women’s collections displayed within a series of rooms split by a corridor – one side finished in powder pink plaster and the other in black wood paneling.
To perfect the homely atmosphere, Dimore Studio has paired vintage furniture with collectible contemporary design and art pieces. For instance, Chinese bamboo armchairs from the 1800s sit alongside an ‘Artona’ series dining table by Afra and Tobia Scarpa. An intimate VIP room on the first floor, featuring a made to order bag and fur service as well as private changing rooms, is the outpost’s crowing glory. Here, hidden behind a set of Vienna straw screens, visitors are enveloped in a warm golden glow created by skilfully layered patterns and shimmering textures.
‘It is truly distinctive, sophisticated and with a whispered luxury and intimate feel,’ praised Fendi CEO Pietro Beccari. ‘Dimore Studio has perfectly translated our codes into an ideal Fendi apartment in London.’
Dimore Studio paired vintage furniture with collectible contemporary art and design pieces, including 19th century Chinese bamboo armchairs and an Artona series dining table by Afra and Tobia Scarpa
The apartment-like store is spread across two floors, revelling in soft textures, rounded edges and warm colours. It also features a staircase, with a bannister lined with wedge-shaped panels made from various metals
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Fendi website and the Dimore Studio website
ADDRESS
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