The site for Boodles in Leeds, is instinctively Boodles! It’s a prime and imposing corner site, very much like their flagship Liverpool store, and as part of Victoria Quarter in Leeds the architectural frontage and elements of the interior detailing are historic and therefore Listed, but as a brand established in 1798 these simply resonate with the Boodles brand.
The design narrative was therefore to capture the Boodles brand values, including its lustrous heritage, Britishness, exquisite design and craftmanship of product, family values, knowledge and impeccable service, with a ‘sense of place’, a ‘home’ in the heart of Leeds.
The ground floor is the main stage for jewellery, with products radiating outwards from a series of concentric circles, enveloped in an environment of luxurious calm. Every detail, junction, material and ritual are considered, to create the desired ambience and seamless customer experience, while allowing the product to be perfectly presented in collections.
The first floor, and sweeping staircase rising up to it, will form a proposed phase II, adding a dining room and entertainment space to host events, dwell space and further immersion deeper into the brand.
With many historical nods and traditional references, this is fused with contemporary artisan flair and detailing, including handstitched leatherwork, bespoke furniture, and objet d’art crafted by local workshops and studios, using woods, metals and marbles. These harmonise ‘design and making’, endorsing the Boodles brand and locality of this store.
Boodles has a British customer audience and growing international appeal and know their audience extremely well. The reasons to purchase jewellery and the joy of adornment has remained unchanged for centuries, but how we purchase today has changed. Boodles have captured this zeitgeist superbly well, a unique and desirable product range, and moving away from a transactional process towards a sense of belonging, where customers become brand ambassadors and fall in love the brand, product and values behind it.
That’s the Boodles effect!
