“Light and bright! Don’t show me anything gray or brown! I want white marble and mirrors, not something dark and scary. And, I want a post-Covid grand opening, a recognition of greatness of Tiffany & Co.“, declares Peter Marino, standing in the stunningly beautiful, stunning and long-awaited new boutique of the jewelry house. We are three days before the official opening of what the brand calls The Landmarket Peter Marino, the legendary architect and designer responsible for rethinking, redefining and reviving what is now a 10-story extravaganza, agreed to show me around. He is dressed for the occasion in his typical mufti – a leather ensemble with a cap à la Marlon Brando In The Wild Oneaccessorized with a trio of silver crosses around her neck and a ring made up of three huge, interlocking silver birds that could gouge out your eye if you start messing around.
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5th floor
Visit with Peter Marino, the architect of the New York store Tiffany & Co.
I myself am dressed in several layers of tulle and my usual doll makeup. Kewpie, and together we are quite a pair – no wonder we quickly became friends. Or maybe it’s because I’m originally from Massapequa, Long Island, and he’s from Douglaston, Queens, and we both share a deep love for Tiffany & Co. ? “Audrey Hepburn is my earliest memory of Tiffany’sin the film of Truman Capote“, he told me. Before even entering the store, I wanted to put my nose against the window.
We start on the 10th floor, a floor he loves, it’s reserved for the wealthiest VIP clients and fitted out to look like a Peter Marino. The red and black color palette is inspired by that ofElsa Peretti. At the time, the architect was working with the legendary jewelry designer Tiffany & Co. “It was a real teaser,” he says. In case of hunger, there is a dining room and a restaurant of Daniel Boulud inside designed for you. works of Jenny Holzer and of Sarah Wed, among others, adorn the walls. There is even a reconstruction of the original living room of Jean Schlumberger who created some of the jewelry house’s most famous pieces. And, among his many renowned creations is the irresistible brooch Bird on a Rock in diamonds.
7th floor
“Let’s go to the 7th! What beautiful things!” said Peter Marino, and we take the elevator – there were three before, there are eight now – to the diamond floor. The walls are lacquered and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and he has designed clever display cases. When I point out to him that it can be difficult to show off jewelry, he laughs. “That’s why I make a lot of money. They’re made by the same foundry that makes things for me in France. And I made these blue vases in Murano, Italy – you can see a movie of me making them on YouTube“You’re certainly a very creative man,” I say, and he laughs. “That’s what happens when you grow up in Douglaston,” he retorts.
The staircase
We descend the monumental curved staircase which he says is inspired by the iconic bone bracelet of Peretti. Here we are on the household items floor. A table and chairs inspired by Breakfast at Tiffany’sinstalled by Julian Schnabel, as well as two of his paintings, can be found near the elevators. At the bottom of the floor, Lauren Santo Domingothe new artistic director of Tiffany Homedesigned the tableware on display.
6th floor
Meeting with Daniel Boulud, the chef of the restaurant Blue Box Cafe of Tiffany & Co.
Peter Marino invites us to take a look at the Blue Box Cafe, where we have a surprise: the chef himself is in residence. “Sir Boulud, How’s it going ? he asks his old friend, as I study what appear to be hundreds of blue boxes Tiffany & Co. suspended from the ceiling. Daniel Boulud jokes: “If you guess the number of boxes, you’ll get a free lunch! Marino created the cheerful and colorful floor and even designed the crockery; the artist Molly Hatch interpreted the jewelry Tiffany & Co. of the 19th century in the exuberant works exhibited. The chef gives me a blue pastry which I particularly like – walking through ten floors makes me hungry.
4th floor
A tribute to Audrey Hepburn in the film Diamonds on Couch
“Floors four and five are where we make the most money,” whispers Peter Marino as we descend the stairs to the silver floor. Indeed, there is a lot of stuff here at reasonable prices – stationery, handbags, an engraver on hand to personalize your purchases – but the highlight of the show is a small space in the image of the designer. The song Moon River is broadcast in the background and Audrey Hepburn, in an evening gown, stands outside the store in a looping film. A showcase contains the real dress Givenchy which she wears in the film. In three days, it will serve as the backdrop for countless selfies. “I told them: I have to do it, I have to do it!” Peter Marino explains the importance of this tribute for him, for all those who discovered the jeweler thanks to this film and who can identify with Holly Golightly, which aspires to something inaccessible, glamorous and wonderful. We haven’t finished. He wants to show me Gold on Four where he installed a harlequin painting of Picasso. It’s here that Paloma Picassowho worked for a long time with Tiffany & Co., has a room dedicated to her jewelry. “I saw her in Venice! She’s going to do new things for us. She’s coming to the inauguration.”
The wedding space
The clock is ticking, but we still want to visit the wedding space where the pink atmosphere is supposed to make you feel, according to the architect, at the start of a relationship, “as if you were floating on a cloud”. A lamp Tiffany & Co. antique adorns the Peony Suite, a private VIP lounge large enough to accommodate not only the happy couple, but also a picky in-law or two. Since the American brand traditionally uses many semi-precious stones, Peter Marino features a bathroom covered in pink onyx.
1st floor
The new Tiffany & Co hotspot.
Finally, it’s time to move on to the main floor, that is, to what the thousands – millions! – visitors will see for the first time when they cross the threshold in the months and years to come. The diamond-shaped glass ceiling in the sky is meant to evoke a skylight; a huge sculpture of Jeff Koons, which has yet to arrive, will overlook the main entrance and there are, of course, showcases brimming with exquisite jewelry. I can’t take my eyes off the huge video screens that envelop the room. This breathtaking installation offers a deliciously biased view of an imaginary New York, in which a couple of Schlumberger birds fly and soar from time to time – you have to watch them! And I could stand all day and do it. Even if it’s unlikely that I’ll own one of these diamond birds one day, it doesn’t matter. They will be there, flying over a fantastic New York, in a dreamscape, a spectacular landmark about to open at the corner of 57th and 5th streets.
Translation by Jessica Scemama.
Article originally published on Vogue.com
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2023-05-03 19:21:43
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