First look at the new flagship Chanel

  One of the great strengths of Peter Marino is the creation of workshops that will feel at home - even though houses correspond to the pages of Architectural Digest to grace. His latest was the Chanel flagship store on New Bond Street in London, designed to feel like home to the indomitable founder Coco Chanel. It is difficult to space without resorting to ecstatic flow, which describe today from the mouth of the fashion press conference tomorrow exaggeration. After all, we were there to visit a 12,600-square-foot shop.

Yes, you read that right: 12 600 square meters of luxurious carpet, designed to accommodate "the universe," says Karl Lagerfeld. The space is divided into three floors rooms as wonderfully decadent and colorful house in beige and gold, from which the perfume packaging divided decorated the house. The ground floor room filled with jewelry watches and jewelery, fancy, small leather goods, accessories and beauty products.

Coco Chanel often wore bands so that the wall of the handpiece with satin ribbons silk thick gold layer as a screen with openings for display woven bags is covered. The bathroom accessory is covered wool, other long galleries gypsum wallboard by Marc Swanson curly hand-woven in cream.

The second and third floors house ready-to-wear and shoes. A former stately fireplace dominates the living room on the second floor, a tribute to the original fireplace in the apartment Rue Cambon Coco. In another nod to Coco there are sheaves of golden wheat flanking an appendix: Chanel was superstitious and had wheat in every room in the Rue Cambon, a symbol of prosperity and wealth. The cream curtains are hand embroidered with beads, sofas covered with tweed, silk carpets good enough to wear to stifle our tread.

The central atrium reflects another Marin talent to combine with fresh, modern heritage. A huge pearl necklace made of hand-blown Murano gray 'pearls' glass, followed by French artist Jean-Michel Othniel reached 11m from floor to ceiling. Marino has the work commissioned then designed the staircase around. When he said Sheryl Garratt in a room in the Telegraph Magazine two weeks ago: "You can not buy a sculpture, a staircase then fill it does not work."

Works commissioned and antiques scattered throughout the store, including 20 new works by Marino. The collection is so complete that the press says with a catalog of the origin of individual works was armed - Chanel does not do things by halves. There are new works by the American artist Peter Dayton and Robert Greene, crystal sculptures by Turner Prize winner Richard Deacon, a huge portrait of Coco Chanel with pearls marks printed on the paper of the iris decorated by the Iranian artist YZ Kami and prints of young British artists Idris Khan on the top floor, the loan from the private collection of Marino. A deer covered with Swarovski crystals created by Marc Swanson chairs fine jewelry room.

All sounds a bit overwhelming? That's the point. As Marin said: "It is ambitious, if a customer comes in and just buy a lipstick $ 40, it does not matter, Chanel is your impression of what is important ..".