The design of the Dolce & Gabbana store by Gwenael Nicolas is an ode to the city of London, from royalty to punk and a sense of dignity and avant-garde.

Like an artist that would draw life size paintings, each room is a celebration of the beauty of nature: twisted, curved and exploded, the stones create unexpected compositions.

From book-matched marble, areas set in mirrored walls that create an optical illusion of lack of depth, making them seem as light as a sheet of paper, to contrast to the dynamic of the natural stone. Products are displayed in large stone frames, floating in a mix of diffused light.

A delicate oval stairway connects the spaces in an uninterrupted sequence of marble wedges that compose the pattern of stairs: seen from above or below, the stairway conjures the impression of a silk ribbon.

Its design seeks to induce a sense of the surreal through optical illusion, exploiting the “baroque poetry” of stone.

Budri, from San Giacomo Roncole in Northern Italy has over 60 years of activity and unparalleled experience in marble working. Their story is one of impetuous passion and creative sovereignty.

The Budri team dedicated to the Fashion Division, made up of architects, engineers and installation teams, provides a "turnkey" service. A dedicated department, with technical, design and material research offices, they support the designer throughout the project, from budgeting to implementation and final testing.

Budri take great pride in treating marble as a precious fabric, abandoning all reservations and preconceptions towards it. It is only through this belief, that they can break barriers and enter the soul of marble by freeing the wonders it contains.

Completed in 2017, Trimline were contracted by Budri to supply materials for the commercial renovation for the Italian fashion label. Set over 6 levels, the 25,000 square foot store in Old Bond Street, London, drew on the consolidated experience of Trimline Group on complex and large-scale projects.

Designed to look like a powerful river carrying visitors from one space to the other, the striking oversized black and white graphical stones sourced from 4 continents, run throughout the boutique.

Both complex and delicate in composition, these prestigious natural materials required the use of specialist adhesives. Due to their delicate nature, the adhesives to be used must be non-staining, stabilized and low in chemical additives to avoid any discolouring, whilst remaining high performance.

Trimline were consulted and supplied a full M40 specification, using Kerakoll products, namely Extreme, Superflex Eco and H40 Eco Marmorex.

It was critical to ensure that the mixing water was ‘locked’ within the mortar. This eliminated the risk of water staining, curling and warping, ensuring a risk-free installation and perfect finish for Budri.

Due to the site-specific requirements and tight timeframes, Trimline where keen to specify products that where workable and with which full coverage could be easily achieved, helping speed up installation on site.

Another key feature of the Kerakoll products was controlled drying and hardening, allowing the slabs to be walked on and grouted in the shortest possible time, so the rest of the works could proceed on schedule.

Trimline’s high level of customer service was crucial for this project, as Budri regularly sought the advice from our technical team.

Ferdinando at Budri outlined the company’s requirements for sourcing products local to site, as they can be difficult and costly to source in Italy.

Ferdinando mentioned that it was much better to get your products altogether, instead of chasing and souring them around London. With over 2,700 products in stock, available for next day delivery, Trimlines unique ability to deliver all the materials to site in one delivery brought endless benefits to both the contractor and client.

As a result of our contribution to this project, Ferdinando has said that ‘the next day delivery option is great’ and they have already recommended Trimline Group to others in the industry.

Overall, this project as a collaboration between Budri’s skillful craftsmanship and extraordinary ability, with Trimlines exemplary levels of best practice, breadth of knowledge and scale of operation.

With a flair for the dramatic and a nod to the ornate, Dolce & Gabbana’s London flagship clearly captures the spirit of the brand and the flavour of the British locale.