With showrooms already located in Milan,
Cologne, Stockholm and New York, the London showroom in Clerkenwell will become
the company’s new centerpiece – a flagship space in the heart of London’s
architecture and design district. Beyond showcasing stunning Arper pieces this
showroom presents the opportunity to share the company’s design vision – the
pursuit of the essential – with the London design community.
The showroom has been designed by renowned
architects 6A, who share Arper’s values of simplicity through pure design,
focusing on elegance and sensuality of form and avoiding the superfluous. The
concept for the showroom takes its inspiration from this philosophy as well as
from the local environment, its history and cultural context. It aims to convey
the innate qualities of Arper and Treviso with the style and exuberance of
London. The space is a simple architectural unit constructed from different
materials in shades of white, inserted into a concrete shell to make a singular
backdrop for the furniture. Natural white plaster, bleached oak and enameled
cast aluminum form a soft, finely crafted space open to the street on two
sides. Finer details of the build — doors, ironmongery, skirtings — have been
stripped back. The focus is on the relationship between space, light and
furniture.
This space will be more than a showroom –
it is an Arper ‘experience’ for architects, specifiers, designers and the
public to learn more about the company and its ethos of open-ended and generous
design. It has also been designed to be flexible to
allow it to play host to different types of events, through which Arper can
communicate with its new London audience.
Claudio Feltrin, CEO of Arper, said:
“London will be our flagship showroom across the world, more a brand embassy
than simply a store. Clerkenwell is the perfect location for us as it has one
of the highest concentrations of architectural and engineering companies in the
world. And London is a dynamic hub of creativity, design and innovation, which
has really inspired us.”
“Through this showroom we hope to increase
Arper brand recognition but also position ourselves at the heart of one of the
world’s leading cultural capitals.”
Tom Emerson, founder of 6A, said of the
collaboration: “I am really excited to be working with Arper on this project,
as they share so many of our values. Traditionally, Clerkenwell was London’s
Italian quarter, a centre of manufacturing and precision engineering and we are
reflecting this history in the showroom’s design. It is on a fantastically
noticeable corner of Clerkenwell so transparency and visibility are key – we
are hoping the Arper Showroom will inject a calm pause along this busy street.”
The showroom will be open from late
October 2012 and will showcase Arper’s new collections of Saya and Juno chairs,
unveiled at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile this year. It will also be
home to Arper’s classic designs, from the iconic Catifa chair through to the
playful Pix collection.
