Located in Knightsbridge, London, Harrods is the most prominent luxury department store in the world. Recognised for its glossy green bags and indulgent food hall, you could travel to the ends of the earth, and people will still know the name. At FILA, we worked with the market leader, Strata Tiles, who supply hard finishes and whose past projects include iconic landmarks like Heathrow Airport. This project, in particular, involved re-creating the famous H logo in natural stone mosaic chips in the seasonal books department.
If you’ve never visited Harrods, we’d recommend it - you can find everyday and luxury items across seven floors. With more than a million square feet, that’s a lot of shopping, and on peak days, up to 300,000 customers can visit the store. The history of Harrods is also a colourful one, beginning life in 1824 as a general merchant’s shop. The store then went on to even feature a zoo, and in 1898, Harrods debuted England’s first escalator in their Brompton Road stores.
Harrods is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown for UK shopping destinations, and the store is a blend of English architecture and historical charm. The designers, FMA, incorporated the logo into a marble mosaic floor measuring 900m² with a free-flowing feel that closely resembles that of seashells. This new bespoke version of the logo creates a modern, sleek look, and although detailed, the floor pattern is simple and wholly organic. Strata Tiles selected Volkais Stone and Black Tulip to create the new floor, which naturally features tonal variations.
FILA’s MP90 ECO XTREME was used as a pre-treatment to aid with installation and protect the stone during this process. This water-based protector was then also applied once again following phase one to provide additional protection for the natural stone. In total, the process took two weeks before the new department could officially open its doors in February 2020.
For more information on FILA’s natural stone products, please get in touch with our team, or contact Strata Tiles to enquire about marble mosaics.
Image Credit: iStock.com/Jui-Chi Chan