SHOP UNTIL YOU DROP
We explore the hottest shops and showrooms on the design scene for the best retail-based days out
MINOTTI
Minotti has broken into the basement beneath its original Fitzrovia locale, more than doubling its floor space to present several decades of the brand’s elegant collections. Pop in to check out the 2017 designs, including French designer Christophe Delcourt’s 1970s-inspired ‘Collette’ chair (above). With the new space organised into room-like vignettes, dotted with vintage lamps, books and other curios, it will be easy to imagine these designs in your own home (minottilondon.com).
LOAF
Loaf, the online purveyor of upholstered comfort, has opened its third retail space in London’s Spitalfields (right). The title ‘shack’ – as the brand’s shops are named – is misleading: there is 297 square metres in which to test out mattresses, sofas and its growing lighting, blinds and fabric collections. Decked out in subway tiles and with an industrial feel, it fits in with this hip neighbourhood ( loaf.com).
SKANDIUM
Nordic design Mecca Skandium is breaking retail boundaries with its new concept stores in south west London. Having closed its iconic space on Brompton Road, the brand’s move (a few blocks down the road to Thurloe Place) is no downgrade, with the launch of not one, but two new outlets. On one side of the street is a traditional shop – stocking Skandium’s soft furnishings, accessories and extensive lighting collection – with the new ‘Skandium Townhouse’ directly opposite. Decked out in furnishings from a bevy of Scandinavian brands, as well as those by in-house design team Studio Skandium and Modernist favourites from Knoll and Vitra, the ‘Townhouse’ will be the place for lovers of a modern, minimalist aesthetic to find inspiration and direction (skandium.com).
SILVERA
Silvera is a contemporary French furniture brand whose ten branches in Paris are finally joined by an outpost in our capital. Nestled among the antique specialists of King’s Road, the chic showroom forms part of the Chelsea promenade’s aesthetic evolution from old-school grandeur towards global modern design. Overseen by French architecture practice Jouin Manku, the 500-square-metre, two-storey space makes a point of showcasing its original features in a bid to make it feel different to the Parisian outlets: the designers have kept the basement vaults and the traditional façade, painting it ultramarine, and retained much of the exposed brickwork. The pared-back interior (above) was designed to let the pieces of furniture that Silvera curates and sells speak for themselves. For accessories and fantastic gift ideas, head to the ‘concept store’ room, where you’ll find outstanding objects at smaller prices, designed by big names such as the late Zaha Hadid (silveraltd.co.uk). ➤