Inside Apple’s unique new Brompton Road, London store
Apple’s latest flagship store features lots of lovely design touches as you’d expect
Apple Stores aren’t the rare sight they once were, but the the tech giant’s top locations tend to push the boundaries when it comes to design. The latest store is no exception; Apple Brompton Road is close to Harrods in Knightsbridge and is Apple’s third key central London location after its well-known stores in Regent Street and Covent Garden.
This latest store – which opens tomorrow, 28 July at 4pm BST – features 12 huge Sicilian ficus trees that line the 7 metre-high store. The idea is to create a central arcade that echos the site’s use over 100 years ago; the original Brompton Arcade was built there in 1903.
The look and feel of the store will be broadly familiar – especially to visitors to Regent Street since it was refurbished in 2016 – but it has some distinct features such as the curved timber ceiling and mirrored ceiling over the seating area where ‘how to’ sessions take place. The terrazo floor also uses a plant-based resin that Apple says it hasn’t used elsewhere before.
All the usual Apple Store facilities are present though there’s also a pickup desk for online orders which Apple says is a first for its UK stores.
The store also features the first look at an an augmented reality (AR) experience created for the Getty Museum called United Visions and designed around the works of London poet and painter William Blake – you can have a go yourself using the United Visions app. The experience features a soundtrack Grammy Award-winning record producer Just Blaze.
Following a series of opening events, the store will host ongoing ‘Brompton Series’ events on the last Thursday of every month including inspirational talks and music workshops.