J&M Davidson, Mayfair

Armourcoat polished plaster adds ‘modern luxury’ to the latest J&M Davidson boutique in London’s fashionable Mayfair. The store, for the British leather goods and ready-to-wear label, was created by Universal Design Studio in association with Nicholas Chandor.

Part of a Grade II listed property on Mount Street, known for its deep red terracotta period buildings, colour is brought inside with a blush tonality of soft pastels. These feature across two floors to convey the brand's signature colour palette. The focal point of the store is the impressive, cantilevered staircase made from terrazzo marble with a leather-wrapped handrail, set into a series of vertical panels finished in Armuralia polished plaster.

Describing the project, Jason Holley of Universal Design Studio said "we chose polished plaster by Armourcoat for the its tactile qualities and its ability to create an exact colour match to the exterior facade,” explains Holley. “With this match we were able to create the dusty pink tone for the feature wall, which gave a dramatic backdrop to the cantilevered staircase. It was also important for us to use only natural, high-quality materials with a long life span". Currently Japan represents over half of J&M Davidson’s business, with the brand planning further stores in Paris and New York.

Armuralia is an exquisite silky smooth plaster finish with subtle tonal variations. It is an entirely natural product made from aged lime putty and crushed Bianco Carrara marble and contains almost no VOCs. As a ready mixed marble stucco paste, the material is trowel applied to create smooth or finely textured finishes which resemble polished stone in their appearance, hardness and touch.  Armuralia is available in a range of 24 colours, shades and special effects can also be developed for custom applications.

Photography © Charles Hosea