LONDON — Selfridges’ new Wonder Room, which opened Monday, intends to shake up its customers’ idea of a luxury shopping experience — from offering a sip of Petrus at $66 a pop through to a first edition of Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar” (displayed in its namesake) and a one-off H.Stern necklace made from 186-karat emeralds and 20-karat diamonds.
“We are selling a dream — it’s more than just product,” said Alannah Weston, the store’s creative director, during a walk-through of the 19,000-square-foot ground-floor space. The area houses shop-in-shops for brands such as Chanel Fine Jewelry, Hermès and Chrome Hearts; a Wonder Bar with a wine jukebox, and a concept store that carries quirky design items. “I like the idea that [it would appeal as much to] a wealthy individual as an architecture student — it’s very modern and democratic,” said Weston.
To make the luxury brands in the space more approachable, Weston said she and architecture firm Klein Dytham Associates worked with the luxury houses to make the entrances to their boutiques wider than they’d usually be, with windows so customers can see into the spaces.
That said, most of the boutiques have private rooms, too, for those contemplating a major purchase. The area’s central arcade of luxury boutiques surrounds angular glass and metal cabinets filled with watches by Tissot, Hamilton and Raymond Weil. Many of the brands have made limited edition pieces specifically for the room, such as an Hermès Birkin bag in the store’s signature yellow, which retails for about $7,500, and a Theo Fennell quiver pendant made with yellow and black diamonds, which is priced at about $4,400.
Selfridges has spent nearly $20 million on completely redesigning the space, which previously was the men’s accessories area. Weston declined to give a sales projection for the room, but said it was “so promising.” “We just sold a Rolex watch at 9:30 this morning,” she said, adding the area is next to the store’s beauty and food halls, which have “the fastest level of retail traffic.”
The room’s concept area, which takes up a corner of the room, is a 21st-century version of a Wunderkammer, or cabinet of curiosities, which provided the initial inspiration for the space. It carries bicycles by Paul Smith, which are displayed on the walls; porcelain candlesticks in the shape of dolls’ heads by Qubus; coffee-table tomes by Juergen Teller and Zaha Hadid, and Japanese plastic figurines.
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“We wanted the area to be about gifts, so there’s something that’s quirky, odd, curious and rare here,” said Weston. “The type of person who buys a Perspex backgammon set [by Daniel Chadwick] would also be intrigued by [a plastic toy] — there’s a strong design element [here].” Prices over the entire area range from about $6 for a twine doll key ring to $1.5 million for the H.Stern emerald and diamond necklace, through to pieces that are priced on application, such as an Hermès winged riding saddle made especially for the store.
The space also has given Weston the opportunity to continue Selfridges’ collaborations with artists — the entrance to the concept area is marked by an installation by Hadid, which displays miniature models of her past works in a Perspex Wonder Wall, and one of the store’s windows is illuminated by a light sculpture called “Palindrome” by the artist Conrad Shawcross, which is for sale through Selfridges. Shawcross also will create a metal installation, “Lattice,” which will be displayed in the store’s Ultralounge during the Frieze Art Fair.