Editor’s Note
This article details Bulgari’s strategic relocation to a larger, multilevel flagship on Rodeo Drive, underscoring the brand’s significant investment and confidence in the North American luxury market.
Bulgari has a new home on Rodeo Drive. The luxury house has relocated just a few doors from its former space and now welcomes clients at 401 Rodeo Drive, on the corner of Brighton Way. The new multilevel boutique spans 5,834 square feet for its collections of high jewelry, fine jewelry, timepieces, fragrances and handbags, while also housing a client salon and rooftop terrace.
The move reflects long-term confidence in North America, according to Bulgari deputy chief executive officer Laura Burdese.
Strategically, the relocation is about scale and visibility as much as design.
Bulgari has been deepening its investment in the U.S. luxury market with a series of renovations, relocations and new store openings in Southern California, including in Westfield Topanga in 2023, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa last year and San Francisco in April. Now the attention turns to Beverly Hills — and Miami.
Alongside the Rodeo Drive store, Bulgari — which was founded in Rome in 1884 and is now part of the LVMH Group — has unveiled a renovated 3,229-square-foot, two-story boutique in Miami’s Design District.
Both retail spaces share signature design elements from Bulgari’s Roman heritage, like travertine columns and fluted walls, combined with architectural details catered to the local setting.
In L.A., guests are welcomed by a handcrafted glass facade with 1,100 “Rosetta” motifs — similar to those seen in the New York Fifth Avenue boutique — inspired by a 1930s heritage bracelet. Inside, while incorporating Bulgari’s signature amber hue, the main floor ceiling features a gypsum “Serpenti” detail with the house’s eight-pointed star and a central staircase enclosed by a glass curtain created with more than 1,400 components by Italian glassmaker Venini.
On display throughout is a curated selection of key collections, including Serpenti, Divas’ Dream, Tubogas, B.Zero1 and Octo. And on the top floor is a Roman-inspired terrace, a first for Bulgari in North America, made for entertaining and taking advantage of L.A.’s year-round climate.
For Miami, it’s a more tropical approach to design, featuring amber-colored details and rich textures, with palm-tree motifs woven into the floors and walls, and a sculptural chandelier.
Internationally, Bulgari has showcased similar design codes in a flagship in Milan’s Via Montenapoleone that opened in March and recent renovations in its Dubai Mall and Champs-Elysées stores.
The investment in retail comes at a time when jewelry, Burdese argued, is outperforming other luxury sectors.
Globally, Bulgari is seeing “quite a good momentum overall,” and “specifically and especially here in the United States, we are living a very, very positive year,” she added.
California is central to that trajectory.