Ferrari store in Maranello | Sybarite

Architectural interiors and design studio Sybarite has made a name for itself in the global arena of luxury fashion, retail and hospitality, bringing a creative vision to projects that makes them stand out above all others. Now one of the world’s best known luxury brands is poised to reveal a new concept, part of a larger brand diversification project, in collaboration with Sybarite, to realise its vision of heritage, craftsmanship and design in a contemporary way. This summer, legendary automobile marque Ferrari will open a new retail store at its HQ in Maranello Italy,
the global arena of luxury fashion, featuring the concept, architecture and interior design by Sybarite.

The story begins nearly 2 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 as well as housing their 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 for him, allowing him special access into the headquarters of this luxury supercar brand.
Says Mitchell, “I first became aware of Ferrari in 1976 when I was five years old, and I watched the F1 on the BBC – I remember seeing the cars line up for the start of the race and I caught a glimpse of Niki Lauda driving a Ferrari 312T. I was hooked. What struck me was that it was a sport where design was the winner. I have followed Ferrari forever as a hobby. 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. 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”. 

Adrian Condina, lead designer on the project takes up the story – from an Italian family himself, 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 car maker. Our task was to evoke the passion, sense of place and nostalgia around the brand – but in a highly contemporary way.”
With a history of launching its cars in front of visually dramatic Italian backdrops, such as the Colosseum, it was essential to celebrate that sense of Italy and the rich history of the brand founded in 1947 by Enzo Ferrari. Enzo was both a racing driver, an engineer and an entrepreneur and Sybarite knew that the project would need to pay tribute to the man and his life through its design.

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.

Colours and Materials
Within each of the new Ferrari stores, Sybarite has specified the same three materials and colours to ensure a 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. Says Condina: “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. Terracotta has been at the heart in Italian construction since the Roman empire and it is still prevalent today in so many buildings. That’s why we were determined it be at the heart of the design.” 

The new retail store presents a colonnaded terracotta façade that evokes Italy’s classical heritage, through which a 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 store’s 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, running the whole expanse of the store and creating a dynamic retail display with shelves and rails.

In the Store
Once in the store, visitors can move between distinct zones that add to the experience of discovery and theatre, distinguished by materials, colours and even carpets. 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 is part of Ferrari’s DNA. Behind Enzo Ferrari’s desk in his office is a wall of handmade yellow tiles, each one featuring the prancing horse, so a witty touch was to use these in the areas where financial transactions will occur.

Naturally, the fitting rooms are a highly important part of the design. Condina wanted to reference the materiality and texture of the cars themselves within these spaces. His team decided to line the walls of the lounge area with the luxury suede material Alcantara, used inside Ferrari cars, in a customised yellow. Another nod in this area to the cars are the brushed aluminium doors and the Poltrona Frau ribbed and stitched leather as specified by Ferrari for its cars.

Within the store there is an adaptable sales area that can be used for several purposes as well as for retail display. 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 so 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. At every point Sybarite has conceived and created these cultural connections.

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.

The new creative direction for Ferrari’s fashion will be launched in June. The fixtures to show these have been designed to enhance rather than overshadow the products, and are simple and moveable, incorporating the lucite, timber and aluminium seen throughout the store.

The Atelier and Restaurant
Sybarite has also created an ‘atelier’ across the way from the store, connecting the factory, restaurant and retail experiences. The Atelier is also an area where VIPs and press can be entertained, interviews with drivers can take place, meetings can be held and cocktail parties hosted. The journey to The Atelier is by way of a long-standing traditionally rustic building through the addition of an industrial brushed aluminium tunnel which culminates with the privacy of a speakeasy, in this luxe lounge-like space.

As its name denotes, The Atelier is a place to showcase craftsmanship, art and design from rare sketches, artefacts, timepieces, to engine parts and one-off fashion collaborations. Here, bespoke limited-edition pieces, memorabilia and items such as helmets will be on display and available to buy. The atelier is above the new Cavallino restaurant, which replaces the historic one where Enzo Ferrari would lunch every day, and which opened on 15 June, with interiors designed by India Mahdavi and Massimo Bottura at the helm of the kitchen.

Throughout the store, it is clear that Sybarite is telling a sensory story of passion and perfectionism, a narrative that brings together under one roof many different elements including supercars, Italian craftsmanship, classical architecture, human innovation and inspiration. The store delivers newness, energy and a constantly evolving experience without losing sight of Ferrari’s DNA. Without creating a museum, Sybarite has fashioned a tribute to Enzo Ferrari and his legacy, reframing it for the future in a way that will surely captivate the contemporary customer.

Photos by Dylan Thomas

https://www.dylan-thomas.com/

@dylan_location