Image Credit : Rohan Venn
Project Overview
AHW Studio’s third store, located within Sydney’s iconic Queen Victoria Building, is a celebration of craft, circularity, and sustainability. At the heart of the store is the brand’s signature ethos: transforming reclaimed
materials into enduring treasures. Signature circular jewellery pieces are meticulously crafted from reused watch components, each carrying a fragment of history and a renewed purpose. This philosophy of re-use
informs the entire design, creating a space that embodies the poetry of repurposing.
The store experience unfolds as a journey. Visitors move between an intimate, luxurious environment for high-end collections and a gallery-like space showcasing casual jewellery and family-produced artwork. Custom joinery, inspired by the geometry of gemstones, frames each piece, guiding the eye and the experience with subtle precision. Lighting, integrated into the architecture, highlights the sparkle of diamonds and the texture of recycled materials, turning every display into a curated moment.
Sustainability is embedded at every scale. Low-VOC paints promote healthy indoor air, Forest One laminate supports responsible sourcing, and carpet tiles made from 100% ECONYL® regenerated nylon reinforce the circular economy. Every material and spatial decision is designed to reduce environmental impact while enhancing the tactile and emotional engagement of the customer journey.
By fusing heritage, design innovation, and environmental stewardship, the store becomes more than a retail destination; it is a living testament to the brand’s ethos, a space where circularity and craftsmanship intersect, and where sustainability and luxury coexist seamlessly in every detail.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
X+O: Rebecca Vulic, Kristine Vibar
Blak Ink Interiors: Nicholas Borg, Didier Loratet
Project Brief
Opening within the timeless arches of QVB, AHW Studio’s third branch was envisioned to be a sanctuary for sustainable luxury and the art of reinvention. For decades, AHW Studio has been celebrated for its mastery in crafting signature circular pieces, born from the recovered fragments of recycled watches, each carrying a whisper of its past life, reshaped into something enduringly beautiful.
This new space will honour that heritage while expanding its vision. At its heart, a dedicated showcase will unveil AHW Studio’s women’s diamond collection. Throughout the store, each piece of handcrafted jewellery
is a testament to the patience and precision of craftsmen who transform forgotten materials into treasures. Every facet, texture, and surface will embody the brand’s circular philosophy, celebrating the beauty in re-
use, the poetry in repurposing, and the quiet luxury of pieces that last a lifetime.
Art will play a vital role in the atmosphere. Original works by local artists, including members of the founding family, will line the space. These pieces will echo the jewellery’s journey: taking in moments that once was and reimagining it into something with renewed purpose and meaning.
This new store situated in Sydney’s iconic heritage building will be more than a boutique; it will be a living gallery of craftsmanship, creativity, and sustainability, where the past and future meet in perfect circular
harmony.
Project Innovation/Need
This design redefines jewellery retail by merging fine craftsmanship, storytelling, and sustainability into a single, immersive experience. Inspired by the multifaceted form of a gemstone, we translated the precision
of diamond cuts into custom joinery, a bespoke architectural language rarely seen in retail interiors. This approach not only reinforced the launch of a women’s diamond collection but set a new precedent for how product narratives can be embedded in spatial design.
We challenged conventional store layouts by creating two distinct, interconnected zones: an intimate, high-luxury space for premium pieces, and a gallery setting for casual jewellery and artwork. This hybrid format dissolves the boundary between retail and exhibition, allowing customers to engage with the brand on multiple emotional and sensory levels—a shift from transactional shopping to experiential storytelling. Lighting was reimagined as a core design element rather than an afterthought. Integrated into the joinery and ceiling, it delivers precise, jewel-specific illumination while dramatically enhancing material textures. This creates a heightened sense of theatre in a commercial setting, turning product display into a curated visual performance.Sustainability was not simply an add-on—it was integral. The use of recycled and responsibly sourced materials, paired with energy-efficient lighting systems, demonstrated that luxury retail can champion
environmental responsibility without sacrificing elegance or impact.
By fusing artisanal heritage with architectural precision, multi-sensory curation, and environmental stewardship, this project introduces a new benchmark for sustainable, story-driven retail design in the jewellery sector.
Design Challenge
Located in QVB, the new store for AHW Studio needed to balance respect for a heritage setting with the ambition to deliver a bold, contemporary retail experience. The challenge was to honour the brand’s legacy, particularly its signature circular pieces crafted from recycled watches, while introducing a fresh design language that reflected its evolution.
A key priority was to create a distinct environment for the launch of the women’s diamond collection, offering an elevated, luxurious experience without overshadowing the brand’s wider range of artisanal jewellery. The
The store also had to accommodate original artworks by members of the founding family, embedding their creative heritage directly into the retail journey.
This required resolving multiple layers of complexity: integrating diverse product types, designing for both high-end exclusivity and relaxed accessibility, and doing so within the constraints of a heritage-listed building
and a floor space of 41m2. Sustainable design choices had to be woven into the aesthetic, ensuring the brand’s ethos of re-use and craftsmanship was present in every detail.
The challenge lay in unifying these elements into a single, coherent space that felt authentic, aspirational, and distinctly AHW Studio, paying homage to the past while positioning the brand confidently for the future.
Sustainability
From concept to completion, sustainability was embedded in every decision, shaping a store that reflects not only AHW Studio’s artisanal values but its responsibility to the planet. Material selection became an
opportunity to tell a story of care, innovation, and circular thinking, proving that beauty and environmental stewardship can share the same stage.
Walls and surfaces were finished in Low-VOC paints, creating a healthier indoor environment by reducing airborne pollutants. This choice supports long-term well-being for both customers and staff, while quietly
lowering the project’s ecological footprint.
For joinery, Forest One laminate was chosen for its durability and sustainable sourcing, ensuring responsible forestry practices are upheld. This material offers timeless beauty while resisting the fast-consumption cycle, designed to endure, not be replaced.
The flooring became a centrepiece of our circular approach. Carpet tiles made from 100% ECONYL® regenerated nylon transform waste, eg recovered fishing nets and textile scraps, into a refined, high-performance surface. More than just recycled, these tiles are part of a closed-loop system: our supplier’s
The national recycling initiative ensures that, at the end of their life, they can be remanufactured instead of discarded.
Together, these choices go beyond compliance. They form a design ethos where every surface speaks to renewal, where luxury respects longevity, and where the act of building a store becomes an act of giving back. The result is a retail environment that is as gentle on the earth as it is compelling to the eye, an enduring statement of sustainability.
Interior Design - Retail
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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