It was a tremendous honor and a highlight of our career to collaborate with Design srl and the acclaimed BARANOWITZ + KRONENBERG (B+K) on the project that garnered the prestigious title of "The Best Boutique in the World" at the 2021 Prix Versailles.
B+K's visionary touch is evident in their conception of the Âme stores, a truly disruptive design dream brought to life in key locations: Los Angeles (Westfield Century City) and New York (Soho). These were not merely projects, but significant creative and technical challenges. The interiors showcase extraordinary details: tables meticulously covered with soft-touch finishes, mirror-polished steel drawer units precisely produced on a lathe, and elegant glass cloches that reveal hidden opening mechanisms integrated within a remarkably slim profile of less than 20mm. The intricate engineering behind all these innovative opening systems, encompassing both hardware and software, was brilliantly executed by Massimo Tonon from Genoa.
In crafting the Soho boutique, B+K ingeniously drew inspiration from the play of shadows cast by the undulating cast-iron facades that define this historic New York district. Their overarching design philosophy for Âme was to fundamentally disrupt and redefine the very concept of a high-end jewelry store. It's an immersive experience designed to captivate customers with a fresh perspective at every single touchpoint—transforming how jewelry is not just displayed, but truly engaged with and explored. To this end, music, scent, and tactile elements are meticulously integrated, forming key components of this multi-sensory retail journey.
This groundbreaking approach perfectly resonates with the ethos of Elinor Avni, Âme’s Creative Director. Her ambition is to break free from traditional jewelry paradigms, empowering women to wear high-end pieces with unprecedented freedom and to fully express their individual style. Avni’s exquisite jewelry designs are showcased innovatively, housed within delicate hanging capsules and nestled inside state-of-the-art glass cloches that sit atop bespoke metallic display pods. Each of these pods offers a unique auditory dimension, featuring its own distinctive sound score expertly composed by DJ and musician Mimi Xu, renowned for her past collaborations with leading designer fashion brands such as Prada and Marni.
