
Maison Valentino is shifting its tempo. This month, the brand is introducing L’Atelier Sonore — a listening room tucked inside its Madison Avenue boutique in New York, created in partnership with Italian cultural platform Terraforma founded by Ruggero Pietromarchi. The project brings together architecture, sound and mood in a space designed for reflection rather than display.
Upstairs, the mezzanine has been transformed. Designed with architect Francesco Lupia and sound designer Giorgio Di Salvo, the room features a custom-built sound system, a handcrafted console, and low modular seating upholstered in velvet. Every element has been considered, from the veneered wood patchwork to the carefully draped fabric walls. The result feels intimate, warm and deliberate — a place to sit and stay awhile which reflects the creative vision of Alessandro Michele.
The programme launches on May 15 with a 10-hour vinyl session, curated by Terraforma and featuring a lineup that spans ambient, experimental and avant-garde. Laraaji, Lea Bertucci, Laurel Halo, Lizzi Bougatsos, Chuquimamani-Condori, Kevin Beasley, Veronica Vasicka and Physical Therapy will each host a 45-minute listening session, playing records pulled from their personal collections. There’s no stage, no spectacle — just time, music, and the stories shared between tracks.
The space will stay open through the end of August, with daily hours from 10am to 6pm. A background playlist curated by Terraforma plays when no sessions are scheduled, and select guests will occasionally take over the room with their own playlists.
Public registration for the launch is available via Valentino.com, with a limited number of entries for the May 15 programme.
photography. Valentino
words. Gennaro Costanzo