Inside Bottega Veneta’s New York Maison – the brand’s largest store in the world

Spanning nearly 15,000 square feet across five floors at 740 Madison Avenue, the Maison stands as the brand’s third flagship and its largest store ever built thus far.

People travel for various reasons. For those with a love for fashion, the dream is to visit the flagship stores of top fashion houses around the world. There is the Louis Vuitton Palace Vendôme in Paris, the Gucci Garden in Florence, and the latest buzz in the industry – the new Bottega Veneta Maison flagship in New York.

Spanning nearly 15,000 square feet across five floors at 740 Madison Avenue, the Maison stands as the brand’s third flagship and its largest store ever built thus far. It will feature the most extensive range of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, handbags, small leather goods, luggage, eyewear, shoes, watches, fragrance, jewellery, as well as Home and Furniture collections by the brand.

“New York is one of the few cities that speaks to the rest of the world,” says CEO Claus-Dietrich Lahrs. “For this reason, we believe it’s an important investment and statement in terms of size and visibility.”

Tomas Maier, creative director of Bottega Veneta.

Making its mark on the historic Upper East Side (Serena and Blair would have been ecstatic), the Maison takes up three landmarked 19th century townhouses that were originally private residences. Conceptualised by creative director Tomas Maier, the store offsets its deeply-rooted exterior with classic-meets-contemporary elements on the inside.

Its design imitates the two other Maison flagships in Milan (opened in 2013) and Beverly Hills (opened in 2016) in that it reflects the character of its home. In this case, it is Manhattan’s iconic skyscrapers. The city’s magnificent skyline is portrayed by the store’s metallic elements such as brushed brass ceilings and metal display cubes with custom finishes; while the colour scheme references different facets of the Manhattan.

The double-height ground floor, which echoes the cool grey and beige shades of the city’s streets, features women’s and men’s leather goods. The mezzanine level houses a women’s shoe salon as well as fragrance; the third floor showcases women’s ready-to-wear and accessories, and the fourth floor will have the equivalent for men.

A unique concept of the Maison lies on the fifth floor, called The Apartment, where the Home and Furniture collections are displayed like a real living space. Designed “like a real apartment, with the feeling of being in a private home”, the space features exclusive furniture pieces in unique materials and palette – including washed greens alluding the ocean surrounding the city. Connecting all five floors is a grand stair hall made of clear glass balustrade and a handrail made of stone.

“The process has taken many years,” says Maier. “But I think it was worth spending that time to achieve something on this scale. This store is my gift to our East coast clientele.”

Take a look inside the Bottega Veneta New York Maison below.