What Makes vitruta London: Crafted in Collaboration

vitruta London was established as a result of collaboration, design, and cultural interaction. By working with designers and artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, the location was created to reflect the essence of contemporary retail—a place where design meets the practices of daily life.

The venue brings together brands and designers with a minimalist design philosophy, aiming to present this diversity in a consistent and cohesive manner. Located in Coal Drops Yard, the design integrates the area’s industrial heritage with modern materials and innovative touches, creating a location that preserves the traces of the past while looking toward the future. The interior design was shaped through the vision of Creative Director Serra Duran Paralı, working in partnership with Paris-based architect and cultural observer Sofia Cherkaoui of SSStudio+212.

The venue is structured as a place where, in addition to showcasing products, the focus on design and attention to detail offers inspiration to visitors. This approach provides not just a shopping experience but also an opportunity to communicate the brand’s principles.

Photographed by Benoit Florençon, a Paris-based architecture & design photographer.


Collaboration with young designers played a key role in this project. “I chose to share this space of trust with creators who inspire me,” says Serra Duran Paralı in an interview with Mercado. “Involving individuals whose work I’ve followed and admired for years made the project significantly more meaningful.” This approach reflects vitruta’s commitment to fostering creativity and providing opportunities for practicing talents, reinforcing its dedication to a collaborative and inclusive design process.

Copytopia stool by Pierre Castignola, a Netherlands-based designer whose work focuses on surreal outcomes, rooted in a conceptual exploration of the world’s perception.


This vision brought together a diverse group of creators, whose works are featured throughout the venue, including NM3, MealDealWorkshop, Eddie Olin, Mateo Garcia, Holloway Li, Pierre Castignola, Jesper Eriksson, and Wendy Andreu. This approach aimed to create opportunities for those with a creative vision and fresh ideas, enriching the process and transforming the store into a dynamic and inspiring venue.

Moving forward, similar motivations will guide new collaborations. This perspective strengthens connections with creative communities and continues to advance vitruta’s unique narrative.

Hanger designed by Wendy Andreu, a Paris-based designer known for her material-driven approach and functional design experiments.


Building on London’s layered structure, Sofia Cherkaoui explains, “The architectural intervention by Heatherwick Studio, with its bold yet sensitive approach, sets a precedent for designs that respect the past while introducing the new.”

Custom furniture from NM3, defined by raw, untreated metal and crafted through precise laser-cutting and dry assembly processes.


Following this philosophy, the design elements of the venue were crafted to feel like a natural extension of the location’s history. Honoring the site’s evolution was paramount in shaping the venue. A sculptural three-way sound system was commissioned from Matéo Garcia as the store’s centerpiece, referencing the area’s vibrant rave culture and serving as both a functional and symbolic nod.

Aluminium and wood sculptural sound system by Matéo Garcia Audio, crafted in the workshop of Rhizome Association.


Another defining element of the site’s former days as a coal storage yard, the existing brick walls were preserved to honor its industrial roots. To carry this function into a contemporary context, display furniture was designed to echo the materiality of the bricks, allowing the historical essence of the space to integrate with its new purpose.

T4 by Holloway Li for umaobject combines innovative design with 30+ years of expertise in moulded composites.


To create a dialogue between the rough and the refined, coal was repurposed as a tool for displaying vitruta’s selection. This material, once tied to another use, has been given a renewed purpose within the store.

Jesper Eriksson contributed three original pieces for vitruta, showcasing his fascination with culturally significant materials and his distinctive approach to “creating things with coal.”


The design also draws inspiration from South Korea and Japan, where retail often becomes a minimalist event space, curating design objects, garments, and accessories as if in a gallery. This minimalist approach aligns with vitruta’s focus on material quality and its carefully curated selection. 

Humble and silent materials, such as stainless steel, were intentionally chosen to ensure the spotlight remains on the curated products, allowing them to stand out while creating a harmonious and understated environment. vitruta was envisioned as a hub for creativity and culture, with furniture conceived as exhibition elements to encourage interaction, discovery, and curiosity.

Eddie Olin with Meal Deal Workshop crafted a fully clad stainless steel partition wall and changing rooms, alongside three custom shelving units and 4M cable-hung shelving system.


Being offered a rich foundation for storytelling through design, vitruta embraced the layered history of Coal Drops Yard—once a coal depot, later an underground rave hub, and now a cultural destination—emerging as a microcosm of adaptation and reinvention.