Brief

After designing Magda Butrym’s Warsaw boutique, New York gave us the opportunity to evolve the language we had begun developing together – at a new scale and in a radically different context. The starting point was the existing building at 170 Mercer Street: long and narrow, with soaring proportions and the traces of its history still present. Rather than erase them, we wanted to bring Magda’s world into conversation with them – her Polish heritage expressed through memory, craft and atmosphere.

An Architecture of Discovery

The boutique begins before you enter. Set within the historic architecture of Mercer Street, the warm brown façade and large windows simultaneously reveal and conceal fragments of the interior: the sweep of a curved wall, a rose, the edge of a rug, movement on the mezzanine above.

Curves & Concealment

Inside, a sweeping curved wall moves through the long, linear ground floor, while the rounded mezzanine echoes its movement. The gestures soften the existing architecture, but also choreograph how the space is discovered: sightlines are interrupted, rooms emerge gradually and the collection is never presented in a single view.

A Dialogue of Strength & Softness

Throughout the interior, original brick arches, pale plaster and herringbone parquet sit alongside silk curtains, mirrors, lacquered surfaces, sculptural furniture and deep crimson accents. The contrast reflects a tension central to Magda Butrym’s identity: strength and softness, structure and emotion, romanticism and contemporary femininity.

A Private Interior

Across three levels, the experience becomes progressively more intimate. As the journey moves deeper into the boutique, the openness of the ground floor gives way to more enclosed spaces below, where fitting rooms, seating, artworks and tactile materials introduce the atmosphere of a private salon, culminating in a dedicated VIC space designed for slower, more personal interactions.

Made & Collected

Craft is woven into the space. Hand-crocheted curtains, traditional Koniaków lace, a bespoke handwoven kilim and woven rose objects sit alongside Polish art, crystal, vintage furniture and custom pieces – approximately half of the furnishings – that carry a sense of memory and intimacy. The rose – one of the brand’s most recognisable symbols – appears throughout as a recurring motif, connecting architecture, objects and furnishings.

The Experience

The boutique is designed to be discovered in layers. Even the moment of purchase becomes part of that progression. At the bespoke presentation desk, garments are carefully wrapped, scented and presented by hand, turning transaction into ritual. Deeper inside, fitting rooms and the private VIC salon create spaces to slow down, linger and experience the collection away from the pace of the city above.

Architecture, fashion, art and craft come together to create a boutique built around the pleasure of discovery – sensual, tactile and quietly theatrical. A piece of Magda’s world – from her Polish heritage to her deeply personal aesthetic  – transplanted to New York.