Christopher Kane Store in London by John Pawson.

Within the sublime Christopher Kane store in London designed by John Pawson, delicate atmosphere created with intelligent and subversive play of contrasting characteristics is the underlying theme — the natural and the synthetic, the classical and the experimental, the recessive and the arresting, the reflective and the transparent, the solid and the dematerialised.

Based inside an Edwardian building in Mayfair’s luxury retail destination Mount Street, the 380sqm store is split over 2 floors, with womenswear on the ground floor and men’s in the basement. Externally the design reinstates elements of the original Edwardian elevations, creating simple, full-height openings, stripped of all extraneous details, with successive portals heightening the experience of entry: the heavy timber leaves framing a second transparent threshold of glass set in Portland stone.

Inside permanent gestures that include the attenuated line of steel running through the depth of the floor plan and down the stairs are combined with vocabulary that can be changed and curated from season to season, such as the brilliantly coloured acrylic elements. Handbags are displayed on floating shelves, clothing is hung on barely-there rails, while floor to ceiling mirrors heighten the luxury feel.

[Photography © Gilbert McCarragher.]