Best Ascent

Marble staircases, by Gwenaël Nicolas, for Dolce & Gabbana

- Laura Hawkins

When it comes to staircase construction, Dolce & Gabbana is seriously ahead of the curve. Two superior spiral designs connect the six floors of the Italian label’s recently renovated 2,350 sq m Old Bond Street boutique in London. The first enclosing design is crafted using an artisan inlay technique, which sees Spanish Nero Marquina and Chinese Bianco Laser marble slotted together with millimetre precision, like a monochrome jigsaw puzzle. ‘We were really trying to go one step further with the material,’ says the French Tokyo-based interior designer Gwenaël Nicolas.