Sarah & Sebastian Melbourne by Akin Atelier

Awash in glass, metallic polish and sleek lines, Sarah & Sebastian’s Melbourne flagship is a heightened addition to the heart of the CBD.

Offering a calm and elegant retreat from the buzz of the city, the independent jewellery studio’s biggest retail space to date embodies the easy sophistication, elevated delicacy and quality design found in its covetable pieces. “Opening the flagship store in Melbourne marks a significant milestone for us,” says Sarah Munro, the brand’s co-founder. “It’s a city that resonates deeply with our design ethos, and we’re thrilled to unveil a space that epitomises our commitment to artistry and innovation, transforming how clients experience our collections.”

A monolithic centrepiece anchors the space, revealing the store’s exploration of duality in contrasting textural elements.

The considered experience is yet another retail realisation from long-time design collaborator Akin Atelier. A monolithic centrepiece anchors the space, revealing the store’s exploration of duality in contrasting textural elements. Soft, complementary shades sit alongside metallic surfaces, with hand-finished stainless steel and chiselled sandstone coming together in this display centrepiece, where signature jewellery collections are exhibited and cast in their best light.

For a purchase as highly personal as jewellery, Sarah & Sebastian has been a trailblazer in its customised experiences, as seen with its popular Soldered and Ear Alchemy services, and the Melbourne flagship features bespoke design solutions that enhance these offerings from the Sydney-based business. A minimalistic jewellery box plinth contains the permanent jewellery options, while two state-of-the-art piercing labs are hidden behind curved walls. Ear Alchemy appointments are conducted under soft orbital lighting mirroring that from a skylight.

“Within this space, our aim was to design each display to create the illusion of floating jewellery, allowing customers to appreciate each piece from every angle,” says Sarah& Sebastian co-founder Robert Sebastian Grynkofki.

This level of client immersion guides the retail experience, too, with a generous, undulating bench running down the full length of the boutique wall, punctuated by round steel tables, to encourage dialogue with jewellery specialists and the opportunity to explore and try on the Sarah & Sebastian collection. Toward the back of the flagship is the new Fine Jewellery Library, a gallery zone where a mottled-finish, smoky-hued wall holds display boxes with curated fine jewellery pieces to admire and reflect upon. “Within this space, our aim was to design each display to create the illusion of floating jewellery, allowing customers to appreciate each piece from every angle,” says Sarah& Sebastian co-founder Robert Sebastian Grynkofki. And appreciating every fine angle of this flagship – a new jewel in Melbourne’s retail precinct’s crown – is an easy luxury.

Interior design by Akin Atelier.