Ferrari Unveils a New Retail Concept in Maranello, Designed by Sybarite.

Capsule interior. Photo by Dylan Thomas.

Capsule interior. Photo by Paola Pansini.

Through the interior sweeps a red ribbon of glass, the fluent lines running like a wave in the traditional red of Ferrari and replicating the curves of the Fiorano Circuit track. Photo by Paola Pansini.

Adaptable sales areas can be used for several purposes as well as for retail display. An ingenious system of flexible wooden fins can be used as a structure to hold shelves and rails or they can be moved to allow a backdrop for a screen showing important races.Photo by Paola Pansini.

Anamorphic art installation features in the middle of the store. All the bespoke central fixtures reference the Lucite furniture made famous in the 50s and 60s by iconic Italian designers such as Gio Ponti and Giancarlo Piretti amongst others. Photo by Paola Pansini.

Bespoke merchandising column. Photo by Paola Pansini.

London-based multidisciplinary design studio Sybarite is a global name in the luxury fashion, retail and hospitality design arena. Their latest project was created in collaboration with one of the world’s best-known luxury brands — Ferrari — who revealed a new concept as part of a larger brand diversification project. The legendary automobile marque has opened a new retail store at its HQ in Maranello, Italy featuring a whole new concept, architecture and interior design by Sybarite.

The story begins nearly two years ago when Sybarite was invited to create a concept for the new retail stores that would showcase the new direction for fashion under the supervision of Creative Director Rocco Iannone, in parallel to other retail products and collaborations. Faced with a 190-page brief that focused primarily on creating a new retail environment, Sybarite’s approach was bold, inviting Ferrari into an expansive viewpoint that proposed an experiential journey into the heart and history of the Prancing Horse.

For Simon Mitchell, Sybarite’s co-founder, working on this project has satisfied a lifelong passion. A self-confessed Formula 1 fan from a young age, working with Ferrari has been a dream, allowing him special access into the headquarters of this luxury supercar brand.

“Our design for Maranello was inspired by the sense of kinetic energy derived from the sheer velocity of a high-performance car gliding around the Fiorano circuit,” says Mitchell. “Ferrari is first and foremost design-led—an aspirational embodiment of speed, strategy and beauty. Their ability to continually reinvent is why I wanted to work on this project. We wanted to create a uniquely dynamic and resonating experiential destination with a strong sense of longevity reflecting Ferrari’s own values and story.”

Related: Maison Margiela Introduces New Store Concept by Studio Anne Holtrop with London Flagship.

As well as the classic red, famous Ferrari yellow—the traditional colour of Modena and the secondary colour that’s part of Ferrari’s DNA—features in the fitting room area. Here, the materiality and texture of the cars are referenced. Lounge areas walls are lined with the luxury suede material Alcantara, used inside Ferrari cars, in a customised yellow. Photo by Dylan Thomas.

White bricks serve as a backdrop for the products; the clay bricks represent the initial clay modelling process for Ferrari prototypes before the cars are turned to metal forms. Photo by Dylan Thomas.

Another nod to the brand are the Poltrona Frau ribbed and stitched leather details as specified by Ferrari for its cars. Photo by Dylan Thomas.

Sybarite pay tribute to another icon of motor racing, Enrico Nardi, who designed the famous aluminium and mahogany Nardi steering wheel that would feature in many Ferrari cars. Photo by Dylan Thomas.

Brushed aluminium doors and the Poltrona Frau ribbed and stitched leather reference the interiors of Ferrari cars. Photo by Dylan Thomas.

Adrian Condina, Sybarite’s lead designer on the project is from an Italian family himself. Naturally, he understood how Italian culture, art, history and architecture needed to be folded into the Ferrari story.

“Everyone knows that Italy stands for the 3 Fs – food, fashion and furniture – but there is another F — Ferrari, arguably the world’s most iconic carmaker. Our task was to evoke the passion, sense of place and nostalgia around the brand — but in a highly contemporary way,” says Condina.

With a history of launching its cars in front of visually dramatic Italian backdrops, like the Colosseum, it was essential to celebrate that sense of the country and the rich history of the brand founded in 1947 by Enzo Ferrari. For Condina it was clear that the new retail store had to be truly authentic, celebrate the heritage and artisanship of Ferrari but also look to the future. He and his team spent hours going through the extensive archives, finding references, images and ideas that could be layered into the overall design, providing a rich and resonant tribute to Ferrari himself whose office has been carefully preserved exactly as he left it.

Within each of the new stores, Sybarite specified the same three materials and colours to ensure consistency of design and storytelling. Terracotta, glass and clay bricks will feature in each but configured in different ways. Terracotta was the first and most obvious choice when considering the colours and materials for the new store.

“When you fly into Italy you look down and all you see are these terracotta rooftops and domes of churches. We thought this was a great introduction,” says Condina.

The new retail concept presents a colonnaded terracotta façade that evokes Italy’s classical heritage, through which tantalising tableaux of the interior can be glimpsed. Offering a more contemporary note to counterpoint the exterior, the team opted to use glass, a material that can be colourful, can curve and ripple in a sinuous movement. Through the interior sweeps a red ribbon of glass, the fluent lines running like a wave in the traditional red of Ferrari and replicating the curves of the Fiorano Circuit track.

Behind the glass is a wall of white bricks that serves as a backdrop for the products; the clay bricks represent the initial clay modelling process for Ferrari prototypes before the cars are turned to metal forms. Sybarite has also designed a curving continuous shelving system of brushed metal which emerges out of the wall of clay bricks and expands to become a full depth shelf.

Glass, a material that can be colourful, can curve and ripple in a sinuous movement is featured throughout the store, starting from the entry. Photo by Dylan Thomas.

Curved glass shopfront. Photo by Dylan Thomas.

Terracotta colonnade at night evokes Italy’s classical heritage. Photo by Paola Pansini.

Once in the store, visitors can move between distinct zones that add to the experience of discovery and theatre. All the bespoke central fixtures reference the Lucite furniture made famous in the 50s and 60s by iconic Italian designers such as Gio Ponti and Giancarlo Piretti amongst others.

As well as the classic red, Sybarite also wanted to incorporate the famous Ferrari yellow, the traditional colour of Modena and the secondary colour that’s part of Ferrari’s DNA. Inside the fitting rooms, Condina wanted to reference the materiality and texture of the cars. His team lined the walls of the lounge area with the luxury suede material Alcantara, used inside Ferrari cars, in a customised yellow. Another nod to the cars are the brushed aluminium doors and the Poltrona Frau ribbed and stitched leather as specified by Ferrari for its cars.

An adaptable sales area can be used for several purposes as well as for retail display. Here Sybarite wanted to pay tribute to another icon of motor racing, Enrico Nardi, who designed the famous aluminium and mahogany Nardi steering wheel that would feature in many Ferrari cars. An ingenious system of flexible wooden fins can be used as a structure to hold shelves and rails or they can be moved to allow a backdrop for a screen showing important races. Sybarite has connected at every point with iconic Italian brands such as Flos lighting and Cassina while the clay and terracotta have been made by local artisan Matteo Brioni, a fourth-generation craftsman with a passion for earth.

A special area has been created to display official collaborations – here the visitor can see an interpretation of Rocco’s mood boards linked to Enzo Ferrari by a red line that replicates the map of the Fiorano circuit, with all the modern interventions in brushed aluminium and acrylic boxes.

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[Images courtesy of Sybarite. Photography by Dylan Thomas and Paola Pansini.]