Victoria Beckham’s Beautiful Mayfair Store
Beckham showed impressive architectural ambition when she opened the store 10 years ago, commissioning the Iranian/British architect Farshid Moussavi to create its interior. (Moussavi is currently working on the landmark Ismaili Centre in Houston.) A decade on, Moussavi’s cavernous design is still in place, with its coffered concrete ceilings, polished bronze zig-zag hanging rails and sweeping concrete stairs. It has been lovingly cared for and remains one of the finest stores in London.
Uniacke’s contribution has simply upped the ante. She has painted the whole interior in her own-brand paint, made from vegetable resins and ecological minerals. Called Thyme, Uniacke describes it as: “A rich verdant green, with a hint of sunlight.” One wall is curtained in a heavy, richly textured linen, also a Uniacke production, in an earthy grey/brown. “I wanted to create an immersive experience that is both uplifting and exciting and I hope the shop feels sophisticated and sumptuous,” she says.
Dotted throughout the space, shoppers will find British artist Peter Collingwood’s microgauze hangings—geometric textile works in linen and stainless steel thread—placed between evening dresses in chartreuse and rust; or catch their own reflection in an 18th century Swedish mirror with a deep blue glass frame at the top of the stairs. On the lower floor is the long wooden sofa, designed in the 1920s for a Swedish ski-ing lodge that Uniacke showed in October at PAD in London. Next to it is a luscious green-glazed vase from 1920s France. “She has not only placed every piece of art and antique meaningfully, but also considered how our pieces would work in the space. She’s identified the color palettes, and adjusted the lighting,” says Beckham. While Uniacke says that she “wanted the visitor to move through the shop in the same way they might move through their own house.” Mission clearly accomplished.
Victoria Beckham, Mayfair Store, retail design, visual merchandising, interior design