A lot has been said about Luminance, Khanyi Dhlomo’s new high-end boutique department store in Hyde Park Corner, and the amount of money lavished upon it. What’s immediately obvious on entering the dazzling black and white front doors is that no corners were cut in making it the perfect showcase for some of the world’s most admired and lusted after brands.
It’s a sizable 740m2 retail space in SA’s shopping equivalent of Rodeo Drive. It has been cleverly carved up into an intricate series of nooks and corners, well lit and carefully arranged to show off luxurious shoes, bags and dresses that even the most mere mortals wouldn’t even dream of owning.
Hiring Cape Town style ‘wunderkid’ John Jacob to design the interior was a good move; he has achieved the perfect balance between slick and understated. He attributes the success outcome to the planning.
“We did the interior in six weeks but we planned it for a year.”
The store is divided into three sections, he explains.There is a clothing boutique, a cosmetics counter and a homeware and coffee area. The boutique has soft carpets because “you want to stand on something soft when you touch something soft,” Jacob says.
When you are in the cosmetics area, you are in a different frame of mind, so there the surfaces shine and sparkle and the floor is tiled in marble. Red leather chairs in the coffee area offer comfort and privacy, and the coffee is served in brightly coloured Kate Spade bone china.
“I wanted to create a myriad of experiences to lead the shopper from one area to the next,” says Jacob.
Textured wallpaper, mirrored walls holding TV screens and glossy black glass alongside sandblasted and bleached quarter sawn oak make a visit to Luminance feel like falling down the rabbit hole. While it is enthralling and varied, the backdrop in no way detracts from the brightly coloured silks, leathers and satins of the star attractions -some of them with five figure price tags gently dangling off their pretty labels.
“I wanted to create a space that was like a glossy magazine with empty pages,” says Jacob. “The products are on display to educate and entertain. The windows are boxed off separately so as not to limit. You can have pink in the window and something entirely different on the floor. The spaces don’t interfere with one another.”
This project has been a triumph for Jacob who has been working as a designer for eight years. During this time he has made a name for himself specialising in luxurious and glamorous residential interiors. He’s done some high profile projects around the world and is finishing work on a private jet in the UK of which he refuses to elaborate on.
