The new Louis Vuitton store in Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre takes bespoke fitout to new heights. Each piece of free-standing furniture has been created specifically for the French brand by Australian designer Tom Fereday – and each one could be considered a covetable piece of independent design in its own right.
Fereday collaborated with the Louis Vuitton interior design team in Paris to create a range of pieces that complement the team’s interior vision for the store as well as the brand as a whole.
“From the very beginning our common brief was to create bespoke furniture for the store made locally by some of the best makers and suppliers available, to create furniture of the highest quality that focuses on quality, natural materials and longevity,” explains Fereday.
“Focus was placed on making refined solid timber pieces that were minimal in design and yet highly detailed.”
Fereday’s process was kickstarted by an exploration of a limited range of raw materials, which includes solid Victorian Blackwood, walnut and oak, the new Kvadrat Maharam leathers and Coda upholstery fabric. The designer created two distinct collections for the two separate areas of the store, using solid oak used for the bespoke ottoman, side table, Pieman chairs, Dye Table and Hull armchairs and solid walnut and Victorian Blackwood for a bespoke dining table, Bow chairs and feature table.
“Each piece had its own personality but was intended to have a common language across the collection,” Fereday adds.
A number of challenges were presented to the design team, from working within a very short time frame and needing to source items from across the country.
“The project would not have been possible without working with some of the best local makers and manufacturers in Australia,” says Fereday. “These included master craftsman Rolf Barfoed who produced all the custom timber pieces, Evostyle who produced our custom Bow chairs, SD Element who produced our custom Hull armchairs and Stellen workshop who upholstered our bespoke ottoman.”
The team then worked with designer Emma Elizabeth to style and direct the scenography of the store, resulting in a highly stylised and refined retail experience.
