“It was between Venice and New York that Bottega Veneta developed its sense of self,” muses Matthieu Blazy. Indeed, though the luxury house was founded in the Veneto region of Italy in 1966, it opted to open its first boutique on Madison Avenue in New York, rather than the house’s home country. “It was from there that the brand built some of its key creative relationships and evolved its distinct vision for luxury,” adds the Bottega Veneta creative director.
This month, Blazy plans to deepen the brand's historic connection between Venice and New York with the opening of a special residence just a few blocks down from the brand’s original Madison Avenue boutique (and a few floors above its current one).
The airy loft decorated with pieces evocative of Bottega Veneta’s Venetian heritage is the brand’s second such enterprise. Its first, announced in June, is Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel in Venice: a 15th-century gothic palace restored to serve as a “creative and cultural residence” spotlighting the brand’s generations-deep connection to artisanal practices. Both residences were curated by Blazy himself.
“I wanted the space to represent that story and reflect our foundational commitment to craft and creativity,” says the 40-year-old Paris-born designer. Designed and decorated in a mid-century Italian style, the space “brings together the best of Venetian artisanship with iconic American design, from Murano glasswork to George Nakashima,” Blazy explains.
Visitors to the loft are greeted by a formidable Murano chandelier. Devotees of Italian design will also recognize a Gino Sarfatti floor lamp, a music box by Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni, and an unmistakably gondola-shaped sofa by Adrian Pearsall—all winks to a strong sense of Venetian identity.
In addition to serving as a Manhattan hideaway for valued clients and friends of the brand, the Bottega Veneta residence will offer a range creative and cultural programming with an emphasis on taste and craft. To christen the space, the Italian house hosted a reading and brunch last weekend to celebrate its new Richard Scarry capsule collection. Both are a testament to Bottega Veneta’s spirit of curiosity and individuality—just in time for the holidays.
