Renamed The Landmark under the LVMH pavilion, the jewelry brand’s iconic 1940 flagship – inseparable from Blake Edward’s film masterpiece starring Audrey Hepburn – reopened on April 28. After four years of intensive work under the direction of Peter Marino, the showcase offers a privileged experience in many ways.
Ten ultra-luxury floors
“How Do I Look? Very Good, I must say I’m amazed!” These few lines of dialogue between Holly Golightly and Paul Varjak – alias Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard – in Blake Edward’s 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Diamonds on the Sofa) could sum up the impression one gets when faced with the work done by the LVMH group to modernize this symbolic address of the “Big Apple” jeweler—a total of 110,000 square meters on ten floors at 727 Fifth Avenue.
For its first major renovation since it opened 83 years ago, the Tiffany & Co store, renamed The Landmark, LVMH has put in place the means to restore the splendor of what the group does not hesitate to call “the jewel in the crown of New York.”
Rumor has it that these titanic works – launched in spring 2019 and whose delivery has been delayed by the pandemic – are the most significant investment made in a single store in the history of the LVMH group.
However, the amount committed has not been revealed. However, financial analysts estimate the renovation at around 500 million euros. Refusing to confirm the operation amount, the group’s president Bernard Arnault retorted: “You can’t dream when talking about numbers. When you create desire, profits are only the consequence.”
The offbeat redevelopment was launched in 2018 by Tiffany & Co’s former management team before coming under the LVMH group’s supervision since the jewelry house’s acquisition in 2021 for $15.8 billion.
The LVMH group then entrusted the realization to two giants of architecture. First, there was Peter Marino, a renowned interior architect, and collector known for having conceptualized and refurbished many of the group’s flagships, including the famous Dior 30 Montaigne. The latter was responsible for renovating the interior design of the store.
He was assisted in his task by OMA New York. This architectural firm, founded by Rem Koolhaas – responsible for renovating the Plaza Athénée in Paris – has commissioned Japanese architect Shohei Shigematsu to redo the core of the building as the technical infrastructure.
Initially scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2021, its opening has been postponed due to the shutdown of non-essential construction sites amid the pandemic.
According to the brand, the result is an immersive interior that gives access to a “new wonderful world.”
The customer is first welcomed on the second floor by a wall of videos that look like large windows. They intermittently show views of Central Park or the Manhattan skyline. These screens can also be deactivated to become simple double mirrors.
On the ceiling, the visitor can contemplate a 22-meter work, “Diamond Skylight,” created by Hugh Hutton, a tribute to Tiffany’s reputation as a supplier of the world’s finest diamonds. The parquet floor is reminiscent of the building’s original 1940s layout. The most fashionable Tiffany collections, such as Tiffany Lock and Tiffany T, are displayed in this space.
The third floor – decorated with ivory silk wall panels reminiscent of wedding dresses – is dedicated to Tiffany & Co’s flagship product: engagement rings. A spiral staircase, inspired by Elsa Peretti – the company’s former artistic director – with transparent balustrades enhanced with crystal stones, leads up to the other floors of the boutique, up to the eighth. A revisited version of the famous mythological statue of Atlas supporting the clock by Henry Frederick Metzler (1853) – visible on the building’s façade – towers over the base of the staircase. For the less athletic, an elevator system also serves all store floors.
Clients wishing to discover the silver, art de vivre, and fine jewelry collections should go to the 5th, 6th, and 7th floors, respectively.
The famous Blue Box Café and restaurant – inaugurated by Tiffany in a pop-up store version in 2017 and then exported to London at Harrods during the works – has returned to its original location but this time with Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud. Refurbished, it now has a private dining room and a bar with an art installation.
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Featured photo : © Tiffany & Co
