The first store of Russian jewellery and art retailer Amber & Art deserves the label “flagship.”
Just the location and the building itself would warrant a special status.
Amber & Art is located by the river Moika in the historical centre of St. Petersburg, Russia, in a magnificent neoclassical apartment building known as Dom Adamini.
It was designed by Swiss-born Russian architect and engineer Domenico Adamini and built during 1823-1827 for the wealthy merchant, Antonov.
This pedigree and historical weight set the tone for the design work of the massive showroom and store, entrusted to Milan-based Piuarch Srl who also have an office in the Ukraine. Piuarch has an impressive client list that includes Swarowski, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Givenchy, and projects around the world.
The impressive St. Petersburg setting lends itself perfectly to an art-gallery atmosphere with its high ceilings and gorgeous arches.
The main type of jewellery on display is amber, a great example of nature’s miraculous beauty. Amber is fossilized resin from ancient pine trees whose sap is said to have been deposited in the Baltic Sea 40 to 60 million years ago.
The designers planned the vast spaces to display and explain the various types of amber, and the many types of jewellery and art that can be created from it.
The central hall is the gathering place of all of the different types of creations that are then displayed and explained in more detail in each room. The central hall is shaped like a half circle with the floor created in diamond design with London Grey and Olympic Marble.
In the display rooms, hand-stuccoed concrete walls and natural oak floors give a neutral setting for the rich displays of jewellery.
Our eyes were immediately drawn to the interplay of square and round, sharp and soft that is apparent in the building exterior. Inside, Piuarch has repeated this interplay of sharp edges and curved forms beautifully. Tuija Seipell.
