A Floor that Supports the Space

Luxury retail spaces require more than a refined material palette. They require a clear architectural language.

In the new Bucherer stores in Basel, Frankfurt, and St. Moritz, designed by Lissoni & Partners, materials, light, and proportion come together to create interiors with their own rhythm. To better understand the thinking behind these spaces, we had the pleasure of speaking with Tania Zaneboni, Partner and Interior Design Coordinator.

What was the design vision behind the Bucherer stores?

“The boutiques are conceived as places to linger, not merely to shop. Lounges, conversation areas, intimate bars, and spaces dedicated to client interaction transform the retail environment into a relaxed, comfortable, and experience-driven destination. Bucherer hosts a wide range of luxury watch brands. The challenge was to avoid creating a fragmented collection of individual brand corners and instead establish a coherent and harmonious environment. Flooring, ceilings, materials, and lighting become the unifying elements that bring order and consistency to the different brand identities, creating a seamless spatial experience throughout the store.”

The project features our 28cm wide plank flooring in a clean grade, creating a calm and continuous surface throughout the space. The wide planks help unify the different areas of the store, contributing to a sense of order and continuity throughout the interior.

More than a surface

In luxury retail environments, the floor often becomes the largest visible surface within the interior. Its role is therefore not only functional, but also atmospheric.

Rather than competing with the objects displayed, the flooring quietly supports the space around it. The floor becomes a “polite jewel” within the interior — understated, refined, and carefully integrated.

How does the flooring contribute to the overall architectural concept of the stores?

“In the Bucherer concept, the flooring acts as the warm and natural counterpoint to a rigorous and sophisticated architectural language. It is not intended to be the focal point; rather, it establishes the sensory comfort of the environment, transforming the store into a space that combines the character of a gallery, a home, and a luxury boutique. It is one of the key elements contributing to the sense of luxury without ostentation that defines Lissoni’s approach to Bucherer—a refined and welcoming atmosphere where elegance is expressed through quality, materiality, and proportion rather than through excess.”

Contrast and material balance

One of the defining elements of the Bucherer interiors is the contrast between the darker furniture designed by Lissoni & Partners and the lighter flooring.

The lighter wood brings warmth and openness to the darker palette, creating a subtle dialogue between materials throughout the interior.

What made Ebony and Co the right partner for this project?

“What made Ebony and Co. the right partner was its shared sensitivity toward materials and architectural quality. The flooring plays a fundamental role in Bucherer’s concept, introducing warmth, comfort, and a sense of permanence within a highly curated retail environment. The supplier’s expertise in wood, attention to detail, and ability to deliver a product of exceptional quality ensured that the flooring became a seamless part of the overall architectural language, supporting the project’s ambition of creating a timeless and understated luxury experience”

To meet the demands of high-traffic commercial spaces, we developed a specific finish using multiple layers of velvet poly, preserving the durability of the floor while maintaining its natural appearance over time.

Conclusion

In spaces such as these, every detail contributes to the overall experience. Through scale, materiality, and proportion, the flooring becomes more than a functional surface. It supports the architectural language of the space, contributing to the timeless and understated atmosphere that defines the Bucherer experience.

While each location responds to its own context, the role of the floor remains consistent: bringing warmth, comfort, and continuity to the overall architectural experience.