While working as lead designer for a collaborating studio, I was responsible for the concept and delivery of Regina Rubens’ first UK flagship store, located on the historic ground floor of 25 Brook Street — a Grade I listed building once home to both George Frideric Handel and Jimi Hendrix. The project required a highly sensitive design approach to balance retail function with strict conservation requirements, preserving the character of this culturally significant site while establishing a bold new identity for the French fashion brand.
The centrepiece of the space is a grand oak- panelled room featuring a listed Jacobean fireplace. Freestanding glass and timber vitrines were designed to highlight accessories without physically impacting the original surfaces. Lighting is subtly integrated to frame both products and architectural details.
The building’s original features — elaborate plaster ceilings, wall panelling, and a carved fireplace — could not be altered or directly fixed into. The design solution was a bespoke perimeter hanging system, which concealed all lighting and services within its framework. This preserved the historical integrity of the building while allowing for contemporary retail functionality and lighting control Freestanding Hanging Frames
To respect the original plasterwork ceiling, freestanding metal hanging frames were introduced to display the ready-to-wear collection. Backlit bases provide a gallery-like feel, allowing garments to appear suspended within architectural volumes.
The spatial strategy embraced quiet sophistication, using symmetry, repetition, and tone-on-tone materials to foreground the collection. The colour palette reflected the brand’s signature — black, white, and deep reds — used sparingly against a backdrop of ivory walls and soft carpeted floors to maintain a sense of elegance and restraint.
