Louis Vuitton, New York SoHo

Project Details

Project Description

FROM THE ARCHITECTS:

The redesign of Louis Vuitton New York SoHo is complete as of December 15, 2016.

The entire 11,000 square feet interior of Louis Vuitton New York SoHo has been redesigned by architect Peter Marino with a new store concept never before seen in the U.S.

A NEW STORE CONCEPT

Since its opening in 1998, Louis Vuitton New York SoHo has been a very special store within the Louis Vuitton network. It is consistently chosen to host some of Louis Vuitton’s most important global events and it holds the unique position of being the first store in the U.S. to carry ready-to-wear which was first launched that year.

The new store concept was designed by architect Peter Marino specifically for SoHo, taking into account the cultural, historical, and architectural context of the lower Manhattan neighborhood. The cast iron building dates to 1880 and is protected by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The new design purposefully incorporates many original architectural details characteristic of SoHo.

The SoHo store is reminiscent of an art gallery with its minimal, streamlined design and lighting concept. The shelving used throughout is made from the high tech material carbon fiber. Appearing as a futuristic ribbon, the shelves feature an intentional twist. Contrasting the store’s sleek modernity, Marino provides balances with textured custom finishes and furnishings made of petrified & recycled wood, leather, brass, and stone.

Louis Vuitton SoHo exemplifies how art is integral to Marino’s architectural decisions. For example, Marino angled the wall behind artist Mukai Shuji’s painted columns, making the artwork a focal point and consciously re-directing circulation.

ART & DESIGN

Peter Marino commissioned Japanese artist Shuji Mukai to paint three columns, part of the floor and ceiling within the Women’s Universe on the group floor of Louis Vuitton New York SoHo. Mukai connects directly with the Gutai movement – an approach to artmaking that encompasses performance painting and installation and further carries a principle of international networking, to spread ideas across the globe. Mukai painted columns within the store on sight, an act that brings movement to SoHo and integrates the heritage of Louis Vuitton.

Giuseppe Penone is among Italy’s best-known artists. Penone came to prominence as the youngest member of the arte povera movement that started in Italy in the 1960s and created art with a focus on the conceptual, together with earthy materials and poetic simplicity. Penone’s work installed in Soho is made of molded leather and bronze, the materials lending a natural ruggedness and simplicity consistent with the SoHo boutique design aesthetic.

This description has been lightly edited for clarity.