Bulgari Opens 1st Vancouver Boutique [Photos]

By Helen Siwak

Italian luxury jeweller Bulgari has officially unveiled its first Vancouver boutique at Holt Renfrew in CF Pacific Centre. The concession is located in the jewellery/accessory hall on the the store’s ground level, alongside brands such as David Yurman, Tiffany & Co., Loro Piana, Dior, and Bottega Veneta. Vancouver’s Holt Renfrew is completing an extensive renovation that will see completed concessions for Hermes watches, Miu Miu, Fendi, Givenchy, and others within the next two months.

Bulgari opened its first (and currently only) standalone Canadian boutique at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in the winter of 2014. The Vancouver location is the second official boutique in Canada, and the brand is also carried in a handful of upscale jewellery retailers nationally.

“This milestone marks a special moment for Bulgari, as it brings our Maison’s Roman roots and spirit of innovation to Vancouver, a very important city for the brand,” said Daniel Paltridge, President of Bulgari North America. “We are pleased to open our boutique in Holt Renfrew in a manner that represents the contemporary Bulgari brand while simultaneously paying tribute to our rich, Roman heritage.”

Designed by LVMH favourite Peter Marino, the 450-square-foot concession utilizes materials that are quintessentially Roman while staying true to the original architecture of the space. The entrance is Black Grand Antique marble, the flooring is Italian walnut square-patterned parquet with a degrade effect, and the walls are finished with Bulgari’s signature gold and yellow Scagliola plaster. In the store’s center, a light bronze oval-shaped counter in galvanized iron is topped by an expansive Murano crystal chandelier by Italian artisan Vistosi.

Internationally the company enjoys renown for its craftsmanship and as Paltrdige shared at the media launch, “Bulgari finds itself, as of the 2000s, a global jeweller with a very distinct point of differentiation within the luxury jewellery market.”

Helen Siwak is the publisher of EcoLuxLuv.com Magazine, freelance content creator specializing in retail and luxury lifestyle. She is a regular content contributor to Retail-Insider, BLUSH Vancouver, and has lifestyle blogged for StyleDemocracy, Daily Hive, and Marble Financial. When not attending events in Vancouver’s ‘Luxury Zone,’ she is honing her plant-based cooking skills and caring for her rescues. helensiwak@yahoo.com.

See below for more photos from the store’s press opening on Tuesday February 6. Photos by Helen Siwak.