Brandon Maxwell Boutique | Duccio Grassi Architects

Duccio Grassi Architects, an internationally renowned architectural firm, designs the first Brandon Maxwell boutique in Riyadh (KSA), located in the prestigious newly opened "VIA Riyadh" mall, a site of great architectural value.

The store concept was imagined and conceived by Duccio Grassi as a journey showcasing the different facets of the fashion designer Brandon Maxwell, stemming from his roots and experiences.

From Texas to Europe, ending up in New York: a fascinating mixture of worlds, cultures and styles so different yet perfectly complementary. A skillful combination of memory and future, of elegance and sobriety, which stands out from mainstream fashion to express a new and original interpretation of contemporary glamour.

An itinerary that evokes Texas in the conifer wood planks selected for the cashier area and for the beamed ceilings of the boutique, it brings to life Paris, with its refined white interiors, boiserie and rich wall-covering fabrics, typical of French historical buildings, and it recalls New York, the capital of contemporary life, with the hangings and iron elements.

The boutique is developed entirely on the ground floor over an area of approximately 300 sqm., with two opposite entrances leading to two large living areas, connected by a central hallway. In these rooms, whose ceilings reach 6.5 meters in height, a cozy and charming atmosphere, inspired by French conviviality, offers a delicate, unostentatious luxury. The floors of the two living areas are made of European oak with a classic square French pattern, the walls are covered with white framed paneling enclosing precious Venetian brocades, and the ceiling is composed of wooden beams and planks.

Like large frames that emerge from the floor or descend from the ceiling, modern and essential tubular iron hangers display the fashion collection, framing or supporting the garments that become true masterpieces.

In the first living room, New York dialogues with Paris: a wall entirely clad in natural iron, an expression of urban and contemporary design, harmoniously combines with the paneling and elegant light-colored silk fabrics by Rubelli on the walls, heritage of historic residences. The large natural iron wall also houses a fireplace and two niches with burnished brass shelves for displaying bags and accessories. In the center, a living area featuring two Flos 2097/18 chandeliers, Edra's distinctive Cipria sofa, Cassina's Capitol Complex armchairs, a variety of coffee tables (in marble by Gallotti and Radice, glass by Miniforms, and wood by Gervasoni), invites visitors to indulge their passions and feel comfortably at home.

The second living area, at the center of the opposite hall, a typical Italian design living room invites the guests to indulge in De Padova's Regent's 16 sofa and Baxter's Charlotte armchairs, next to a round marble custom table designed by Duccio Grassi. Here, a large window pours natural light onto a small greenery corner composed of a variety of potted plants, bordered by a bench made of raw tree trunk. Widespread use of indirect light warms and emphasizes the architecture of the space.

Between the two halls, a special area opens up in the middle, an exclusive room where Brandon Maxwell's most exciting creations take center stage. Here the customer becomes the guest of honor and can indulge in a sophisticated atmosphere: soft light pink carpeting for the floor, pleated linen fabric for the wall covering, and black mirror for the ceiling. The light-colored pleated fabric wall becomes a backdrop for elegant parabolas of woven rope along with parabolas of light, creating a texture in which the gala collection float suspended.

Spacious and cozy dressing rooms echo the white paneling and delicate light pink carpeting, but the brocades on the walls light up with brighter pink tones to welcome the guest to an intimate and private setting in which to wear Brandon Maxwell's creations with all the comfort they need.

The small checkout area is almost hidden, adjacent to the entrance to the second living area, with unexpected shapes and materials, accessible through an archway. The floor is brick-red resin while the counter is a pure square volume of black Saint Laurent marble. The walls are sloping and on the outside are clad in rough iron while on the inside with long planks of natural wood, tapering upward to a height of 6 meters. Duccio Grassi intended to create a magical and spiritual volume, culminating in a rectangle of light, a memory of a dreamlike Texas.

"The connection with Brandon was immediate, his spontaneity and sincerity in describing himself directed my aesthetic research for the interior of the store in the right direction straight away," says Duccio Grassi.

Balance of volumes, expressiveness of materials, clean and elegant lines, fine finishes: with these sophisticated tools, Duccio Grassi designed a store with the intention of expressing the quintessence of Brandon Maxwell's talent and complex creativity.