When a new Creative Director joins a luxury House, their vision spans well beyond the designs of a brand’s clothing, shoes, and accessories. Rather, a designer’s creative vision often impacts all areas of a brand, from its typeface and logo to its packaging and store design.
At Bottega Veneta, that became instantly apparent when the brand first changed hands in 2019. Now, with the appointment of Matthieu Blazy comes a new chapter in its modernization: a brand new store design. The first store under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy is here. Located on the famed Avenue Montaigne, I was there to discover it all as the doors to the brand’s Paris flagship reopened on day one.
It felt like fate that my holiday to Paris aligned with the store opening. Though I wasn’t traveling for business, immediately upon entering the boutique on the first day that the store re-opened its doors to the public, I went into work mode, taking in all the details of the space.
A Combination of Craft and Modernism
I was instantly wowed upon walking into the space at 12 Avenue Montaigne. The store renovation took nearly eight months, and the impeccable attention to detail and craft that Botttega Veneta is known for is echoed in the space. The entire boutique is dressed in warm Italian walnut wood, which draws you in as soon as you enter.
A beautiful staircase to the right leads to the boutique’s upper level, but the surprises don’t stop there. As you walk towards the back of the store to discover more products, a small, curved hallway leads you there, which feels luxe and almost like a museum. Behind glass windows located within the corridor, you’ll see products like jewelry or a Murano glass-handled Sardine Bag in purple, which stopped me dead in my tracks.
Iconic Attention to Detail
The details define the space, and I noticed all of these intricacies, like Intrecciato etched wood and gorgeous square glass blocks, which are integrated into the store’s design from floor to ceiling in different ways. Leather seating and one-of-a-kind furniture also feature unique textures, and the boutique’s appeal spans well beyond just the architecture. Glass hanging rails, which were hand-cast by Venetian artisans, are another ode to the brand’s Italian roots.
The product is displayed on shelving units that allow for a sense of discovery, and you’ll want to do just that. The store, which is now open, launched with Bottega Veneta’s complete Winter 2023 collection and will house all product categories and an in-store personalization service for select leather goods.
Discover more below images by Francois Halard for Bottega Veneta.
Gorgeous, but definitely not the first store with Blazy’s design — last year, I went to one in Mexico (not saying that was the first one either). This year, I visited Sloane Street and another one, but I can’t remember where.
All the examples of the other stores, being shown below with the links, have same interior furniture and details, but this is the first store that is done from scratch by Matthieu’s team. So it’s not just filling in an existing space with furniture etc but a full new concept. I think that is the difference and why they called it his first store.
Yes, this is being cited as his first store for BV, as it was a complete reno and designed fully by Blazy. While other stores do see pieces of his aesthetic and influence, the Montaigne store is the first that was completely his concept, according to BV.
The Montaigne store has existed for ages now, but it had Tomas Maier’s design language. That’s the store I went to whenever I bought something in Paris. In any case, the store in Mexico City wasn’t a renovation like Sloane or Montaigne, although I’m not saying that was the first one in the planet, but rather, the first one I saw under this concept while on a work trip last year.
It is beautiful though. Not even a glimpse of barn doors, gray cabinetry/flooring, or subway tiles throughout. 🙂
The Dallas store is definitely a Blazy design – Sardine handles on the entry doors, same wood, same leather chairs and carpet insets (different color). The main difference I see is Paris uses glass block heavily, and Dallas uses an Italian tile in a herringbone pattern (to mimic the intrecciato).
https://northparkcenter.com/blog/behind-the-brand-bottega-veneta
Blazy’s style is everything I loved as an interior design student in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Some of it I still love, but some of it has not aged well in my eyes (I’m looking at you, glass block!). I find his style heavier, more intricate and masculine than his predecessors. Over the years, I gravitated more towards lighter, minimal interiors. But 80’s maximalism has definitely made a comeback.
I’m usually not a fan of 80s aesthetic, but I do like their new design language. However, I agree — don’t see it aging well, and feel like there’s a bit of a disconnect (which I don’t mind) with the bags being more timeless (at least more than DL’s). By the way, those sardine handles are the cutest! And the storefront is quite interesing as well. The other store I went to (remembered it was in Switzerland after posting) had a handle like this, but for the dressing rooms.
I used to be so in love with Maier’s stores with the ladders and dim lights. The packaging and dustbags were also my favorites in the entire luxury-verse because they were cohesive with the stores and the products. Lee’s stores were also cute, although they felt (no wonder why) like an echo of Phoebe’s Céline stores, which I adored. I still don’t care for the green packaging, but the dustbags are nice.
This actually just gave me an idea: we should make a thread in TPF of store designs à la SkyscraperCity, in case it doesn’t already exist. I’d totally create a TPF account for that!
As a whole, I do not care for the design of the Paris store. The design is too busy, and competes with the product display (the entire purpose of a brick and mortar store). Don’t get me completely wrong – I think many of the elements are beautiful. That Italian walnut wood is a chef’s kiss. I could even get on board with the glass block if it was only on one surface. However, I would choose floor or ceiling – on the wall, it does nothing to enhance the beauty of the handbags, but only draws my eye away from them. I do like how the entry door handles for this location look like the popular Drop earrings.
I always loved the Tomas Maier stores. They were beautiful in their own right, but were always designed to make the product the focus, not the space itself. Lighting may be my only quibble with his stores. However, the brighter lighting in the new stores does make them hot (at least I find they are too warm).
Getting back to the new stores, I found another Blazy influenced store, and it may be my favorite of the newer designs. Here is a link to St. Tropez: https://www.designboom.com/design/bottega-veneta-saint-tropez-store-france-06-07-2023/
I loved the idea of starting a thread in TPF. I would be happy to start one on the Bottega Veneta subforum just for those stores. I’m not aware of a thread on that subject yet, but I will check first.
I did like the Montaigne store, but I liked the one in Dallas more. The one in Saint-Tropez looks like paradise! I loved its freshness and location-cohesive design (for the lack of a better term). Also, how stunning is that orange Cabat?
However, I totally see what you mean with this new design being busy and competing with the products vs Maier’s (or even Lee’s), as well as the materials working better separately. Oh, and great catch with the Drop handle — I had to look again! All and all, it’s amazing that elements from the products are being incorporated here.
I also see your point with the lighting at Maier’s stores, and it’s something that I find in a lot of restaurants where you can barely see what you’re eating or even the person who is with you. With that being said, I do love the aura of mystery and romanticism that this brings. I also do remember that some of Maier’s later stores did have more light to them. Omotesando, Madison, and Montenapoleone’s renovation come to mind.
I’d love to join you on TPF — I could keep going on forever!
Just started a thread in the BV subforum!
I agree, I heard of two other stores that had his influence.
This is the first store designed by Blazy. We worked with the BV team to cover the opening!
I’m sure you did and I’m so jealous for that! (That comes off as sarcastic, but it’s not — I truly believe it is a privilege in every way and would love to have that opportunity.)
I found two articles about the stores I mentioned. Still can’t remember where the other one was, but it definitely had this newer style (not Lee’s).
https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/bottega-veneta-sloane-street-store/
https://superfuture.com/2022/09/new-shops/mexico-city-bottega-veneta-store-opening/
Girl you picked the wrong size Hop. The small is just not the vibe and even looks a smidge awkward in the small (can’t even put over shoulder if you wear any type of jacket). Going forward it’s all about larger bags, and the proof was in the pudding with that ss24 show. Notice how there was not one single small hop on that runway. They had two large though! So glad I stuck with my gut and purchased the large fondant Hop in August.
The large is way too big for me, “vibe” or not – even the small is a leap for me as I carry mostly mini bags, but as I said below, it is nice to be able to reach for a bag that holds my journal and my book! I do love the fondant color, and I would have gotten the small in fondant if it was available :/
Pick the size that works for you – that’s what everyone needs to do, Kaitlin included! Just because a bag size/design works for you, doesn’t mean the next person has the same thoughts, etc! We can all pick what we personally like!
Kaitlin, just want to say how gorgeous your new Hop bag is. I love the Oyster color, and it’s beautiful on you.
Thank you! I’ve been using it a fair amount already, and I love it. I typically reach for smaller bags like my Prada Cleo and Mini BV Jodie, so while it is a leap, it’s nice to grab when I want to bring along my journal or the book I’m reading.