An Hermès’ London Wonderland

What if shopping felt like getting lost inside an exceptionally well-dressed British townhouse?

There is a particular kind of retail confidence involved in building a shop with 55 rooms. Most of us struggle to find our way around a department store. Hermès, apparently, has decided that the solution is simply to build enough rooms to get pleasantly lost in.

At 166 New Bond Street, the French house has opened Maison Bond Street, its fourth London address and sixth maison worldwide. The nearly 2,000-square-meter space occupies six interconnected Grade II-listed buildings dating to the 18th century, bringing all 16 of Hermès’ métiers together under one rather extravagant roof. There are five floors, four elevators, five staircases and two rooftop terraces.

The project took years to realize, partly because the buildings had accumulated the architectural equivalent of family baggage. Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian details had to coexist with modern additions, rather than being bulldozed into submission. Parisian studio RDAI, under Denis Montel, embraced the disorder instead. Each floor and department have its own atmosphere, with British materials and craftsmanship appearing alongside Hermès’ distinctly French vocabulary.

This means reclaimed oak, horsehair marquetry, patinated copper, textured Lancashire wall coverings, floral carpets and restored mosaic floors. There is even a staircase that was once painted purple but, after investigation revealed its original yellow, was returned to yellow.

Somewhere, presumably, a historian is sleeping very well tonight.

The centerpiece is the former courtyard, now transformed into a lofty interior beneath a steel-and-glass canopy. A dramatic spiral staircase rises through the space, while the surrounding rooms unfold into leather goods, ready-to-wear, footwear, watches, jewelry, beauty, home and equestrian collections.

And because this is Hermès, shopping is only part of the itinerary.

More than 500 artworks have been selected for the maison by artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas, drawing from several of the house’s collections. British artist Jessica Wetherly created a monumental rocking horse for the atrium, while illustrator Katie Scott produced a fantastical installation for the beauty and fragrance area. The intention it seems is to encourage visitors to stop looking at price tags and start looking around.

The third floor brings Hermès craftsmanship into view, with artisans working on repairs and restoration. Upstairs, the private fourth floor houses an installation inspired by the Émile Hermès Collection, alongside rooftop gardens overlooking Mayfair.

For the opening, the maison also offers exclusive creations across leather goods, silk, jewelry, watches and equestrian accessories. Its windows have their own theatrical moment courtesy of British artist Kate Jenkins, whose The Rocabarn imagines a whimsical stable assembled from crochet, embroidery and knitting.

So, yes, Maison Bond Street is a shop. But it is also a gallery, workshop, townhouse, historical puzzle and five-story exercise in French luxury meeting British eccentricity.