Victoria Yakusha crafts sculptural jewellery boutique in New York

Ukrainian designer Victoria Yakusha has created a sculptural, almost monochromatic interior for a jewellery brand's flagship boutique in New York City. Also from Ukraine, the brand Guzema's store in SoHo is its first US flagship and occupies a 1,100-square-foot (102-square-metre) space on Wooster Street. Almost all of the Guzema boutique is coloured in a warm beige tone for a cohesive appearance Victoria Yakusha Studio used her signature minimalist style to design a space that feels calming and curated. "My work here was closer to that of a sculptor," said founder Victoria Yakusha. "We didn't want the feeling of traditional retail. We wanted something more intimate." Centrally positioned vitrines have rounded edges and are upholstered in grey suede The long, narrow interior is laid out with products presented in recessed niches on both sides, and inside a series of sculptural vitrines running back through the centre. These monolithic islands are upholstered in dove-grey suede and "rounded like a river stone" to create a soft, serene statement. Mineral-toned plaster creates texture across portions of the walls and ceiling The remainder of the decor is slightly lighter in colour, with mineral-toned plaster and matching storage units creating the impression of a single cohesive surface. In the store window, a series of white hand-sculpted vessels with textured skins and bowl-like tops are used to present Guzema's jewellery in a novel way. These pieces follow the same visual language as the Sonaih floor lamp from Yakusha's own design brand Faina, which produces furniture, lighting and decor. "We wanted the jewelry to feel discovered, not just displayed. That's how we came to the idea of the installation," Yakusha said. "Each vessel is hand-sculpted, layer by layer. It's an artwork in itself. It becomes part of the experience, a way of revealing something precious." A consultation area in the back of the boutique is furnished with pieces from Faina At the back of the store is a semi-private consultation area for one-on-one appointments, screened from the main space by a glass-block partition. Several more Faina designs feature in this salon, including a curved sofa, ottoman and sconce, along with a burnished-metal table and silver tableware by Natalia Criado. A window installation featuring hand-sculpted vessels faces SoHo's Wooster Street A former fashion editor, Yakusha has opened galleries for her furniture line in both Antwerp and Miami, and earlier designed the interior for Kyiv eatery Istetyka that balances rough and smooth surfaces. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, she has designed a furniture collection as an homage to her homeland and proposed a museum to preserve threatened Ukrainian cultural heritage. The photography is by Matthew Williams. Subscribe to our newsletters Your email address New! 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