EXCLUSIVE: Shigeru Ban Reimagines Tiffany & Co. Palo Alto
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Tiffany & Co. continues to evolve its retail footprint, debuting a new facade for its Palo Alto, Calif., store envisioned by acclaimed architect Shigeru Ban.
“When designing, I always start from the location for context,” Ban explained via a Zoom call from his native Japan. “I proposed a facade which can change appearances and also something that takes advantage of locally available materials. Depending on where you look at the facade, you have three different appearances.”
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To his point, the award winning architect incorporated American oak — native to California — to express Tiffany & Co.’s connection to the state interspersed with vertical glass slats that can be adjusted to various colorways, accommodating different seasons, themes or campaigns.
Ban gained international acclaim by using unorthodox materials — such as cardboard and paper — for structures designed to aid disaster victims around the globe. The Japanese architect’s résumé is extensive, including the Centre Pompidou-Metz in Metz, France; Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand, and the Naked House outside Tokyo.
“I wanted to use the Tiffany Blue differently,” he reported of his facade project. “So, I made a zigzag facade: on one side we put glass, and depending on the illumination, the glass changes from Tiffany Blue to different colors. That’s one side. If you approach from the right side of the store, it appears to have an illuminated Tiffany Blue or other colorful glass facade. If you see the store from the other side, it appears to be entirely made of American oak.”
Located at 149 Stanford Shopping Center, the 6,300-square-foot retail location is expansive. Following the much-anticipated reopening of the Tiffany Landmark earlier this year in Manhattan, Palo Alto marks the latest chapter in Tiffany & Co.’s design evolution and its partnership with world-renowned architects.
The store interiors have also been reimagined into a refreshed world of wonders by the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand’s internal team, reintroducing its clients to a new Tiffany & Co., an evolution that reflects the house’s design concept born with The Landmark New York. Upon entering, clients are immersed in the world of Tiffany with a custom Schlumberger Blue Flame artwork, paying homage to the brand’s heritage and longstanding collaboration with the designer.
As clients journey through the retail experience, soft curves and organic lines reminiscent of clouds on curvilinear walls create a refreshed elegant and modern retail environment. Tiffany Blue appears in delicate touches throughout the store, while rounded cases in a polished champagne hue showcase an array of signature Tiffany designs.
Further inside, the Diamond Eye installation greets guests, composed of an abstraction of facets of a diamond, a tribute to Tiffany’s heritage as a purveyor of some of the world’s finest diamonds. In the heart of the store, a sapphire colored Lobmeyr chandelier features intricate crystal designs. Rounded selenite cases replace traditional linear displays, meant to give clients the opportunity to shop in a more intimate way.
Interior finishes draw inspiration from archival motif, reimagined in modern interpretations of custom plaster and wall finishes, gold cerused wood accents, blond oak parquet floors, plush rugs, intricate metal mesh, as well as gold-leafed columns.
“I’ve made buildings with facades that are very flexible, to take advantage of the natural ventilation in the good seasons,” Ban said of his long list of award winning spaces. “This project with Tiffany is part of the same kind of attitude, the design can change depending on the conditions. My dream is making buildings that, like people, can change their clothes depending on the season.”
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