Victoria Beckham New York

Victoria Beckham's first New York store sits behind a cast-iron shopfront on Mercer Street, where the designer has traded the polish of a conventional flagship for something closer to a private residence. Floor-to-ceiling velvet curtains line a broad flight of stairs climbing toward tall SoHo windows, lit by a 1930s Fontana Arte lantern designed by Gio Ponti. The rooms beyond keep the building's original ceiling above hardwood floors and counters cut from pale and burgundy marble. Ready-to-wear, fragrance and beauty are arranged around sculptural sofas by Pierre Augustin Rose, slender brass rails, and open shelving that mixes shoes with ceramics and framed art. Co-designed by the artist Alexander May and the designer Ole Lund of LNP, the space makes a quiet argument that a store can be furnished like a home.