The two-story boutique with mezzanine draws architectural inspiration from Italian modernism and incorporates elements from the company’s Fifth Avenue flagship in New York
Tiffany & Co. opened a new boutique in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II on February 2, marking the first American luxury brand to establish a presence in the 19th-century shopping arcade. The store occupies a location beneath the lunette mosaic representing America, one of four continental representations that adorn the gallery’s central dome.
The two-story boutique with mezzanine draws architectural inspiration from Italian modernism and incorporates elements from the company’s Fifth Avenue flagship in New York. The design integrates works by Italian artists and craftsmen, including ceramic installations by New York artist Peter Lane and pieces inspired by Michelangelo Pistoletto.
Historic Tiffany Studios Mosaics and Italian Modernist Architecture Define New Milan Store Design
The store’s ceiling, designed by Hugh Dutton & Associés, references Tokyo’s Parliament building and incorporates four rare mosaic panels from Tiffany Studios. These panels, originally commissioned for Marshall Field & Company in Chicago in 1914, depict zodiac signs in Favrile glass. They were created under the direction of Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of founder Charles Lewis Tiffany and the company’s first art director.
The ground floor entrance area displays the Tiffany Icons collections, including HardWear, Lock, T, and Knot lines. Display cases feature metallic fabric coverings and custom-cast glass inserts produced by Venini, the Murano glassworks. An adjacent gallery dedicated to Elsa Peretti’s designs includes jewelry pieces created specifically for this location, displayed in cases inspired by Gio Ponti and made in collaboration with Venini.
Italian Artisan Collaboration: Venini Murano Glass and Gio Ponti-Inspired Design Elements
Studio Piva developed the exhibition concept for the space. The window displays use Italian handmade glass tiles and incorporate metallic elements. One room features vintage Gio Ponti fabrics lining display cases that house Jean Schlumberger jewelry pieces.
The mezzanine level houses high jewelry and archive pieces, including works from the Louis Comfort Tiffany period. These include a Meta Overbeck necklace from 1930-1933 and a Thomas Winship necklace from 1914. The archive installation on the ground floor displays Schlumberger pieces including his 1959 Tulip necklace and a Bouquet brooch from 1952-1953.
Upper Level Watch Salon and Engagement Ring Gallery Feature Custom Rubelli Fabrics and Platinum Leaf Details
The upper floor contains the watch salon, a private salon, and the All About Love space for engagement jewelry. The watch area, designed with Forma Fantasma, uses light wood cases and vintage Rubelli fabric created for this store using Gio Ponti designs and traditional hand-production techniques.
The All About Love space features platinum leaf ceiling treatment and ivory and silver walls. Custom panels by artist Nancy Lorenz contribute to the room’s design, which includes a parchment-lined alcove with a Gio Ponti bench.
Tiffany & Co. Expands Global Retail Presence with 300+ Stores and 14,000 Employees Worldwide
Founded in New York in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany, the company operates over 300 stores worldwide and employs more than 14,000 people. The company maintains its own workshops where over 4,000 craftspeople cut diamonds and create jewelry pieces.
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, completed in 1867, connects Piazza del Duomo with Piazza della Scala. Its iron and glass vaulted arcades meet under an octagonal central dome featuring mosaic representations of the four continents.
