Adding up to the large number of watch boutiques now opening in Miami's Design District, Officine Panerai presents its first ever flagship store in the Americas, created by the architect and designer Patricia Urquiola. The new flagship is situated in the heart of the Miami Design District, an area of the city which has recently been transformed into an exclusive luxury shopping destination. The boutique extends over an area of 2,200 square feet on two floors with two different entrances making this the largest Panerai point of sale in the United States to date. The flagship store is in the south-west corner of the Design District’s Palm Court and it has seven windows, five on the ground floor and two on the upper floor. The boutique windows face onto the piazza of the Palm Court, which is easily recognized by the large glass sculpture shaped like a geodesic dome in the center of the courtyard.
The Panerai boutique in the Miami Design District is unique compared to other boutiques throughout the world, in terms of having an outer facade spanning two floors and in its furnishings and interior decoration.
The interior design reflects a functional, simple idea of design, like that of the brand’s watches. Patricia Urquiola, the famous Spanish designer based in Italy, has reinterpreted the aesthetic and technical codes of Panerai, paying heed to its identity and timeless design. For the new boutique the designer has used “calacatta luccicoso” veined marble, bronze and wood, materials which perfectly express the history of Officine Panerai and its Florentine origins.
One of the most distinctive elements of the boutique is the custom chandelier: a suspended series of disks, rings and lamps devised and designed by Patricia Urquiola, especially made and inspired by Panerai movements. The fixture hangs in the center of each floor of the boutique and has a metal and gold finish reminiscent of vintage nautical instruments.
The second floor has been deliberately designed as a private area for exclusive collectors and an exhibition space to host works by contemporary artists and designers as well. The boutique is sophisticated, contemporary, innovative and elegant and, at the same time, welcoming.
With the new boutiques and reopenings designed by Urquiola, Officine Panerai now has 65 boutiques worldwide, 11 of which are in the United States. Angelo Bonati, Chief Executive Officer of Officine Panerai, says: “We are very proud to announce the opening of our new flagship store in North America in the Miami Design District, a setting which, through its association with design, suits us perfectly. For us the Americas are a fundamentally important market. Miami is an international center of art design, and it represents a great opportunity in terms of exposure and increasing our international clientele.”
Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo, Spain. She studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and at the Polytechnic University of Milan, where she took her degree in 1989 under the direction of Achille Castiglioni. She has been assistant lecturer to Achille Castiglioni; she has worked with Vico Magistretti; and she became head of the Lissoni Associati design agency. In 2001, Patricia founded her own studio centered on design and architecture. Among her most recent projects are: the Jewellery Museum in Vicenza, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona, the Das Stue hotel in Berlin and the Spa of the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan; retail projects and fittings for Gianvito Rossi, BMW, Flos, Missoni, Moroso, Officine Panerai, H&M and Santoni, and Pitti Uomo, Florence. She carries out designs for major Italian and international companies. Several of her works are exhibited in major art and design museums and she has won numerous international prizes and awards, including the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes —Gold Medal for the Fine Arts—; the Order of Isabella the Catholic, presented by His Majesty Juan Carlos I, King of Spain; “Designer of the Decade” by the magazines H.O.M.E. and Häuser, and “Designer of the Year” by the magazines Wallpaper, AD Spain, Elle Deco International and Architektur und Wohnen.
The new Officine Panerai Miami Design District Boutique is located at:
140 NE 39th Street
Suite 101
Miami, Florida 33137
Tel: +1 305.908.4518
Email: miamidesign@panerai.com
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