This incarnation of the shop interior is an altogether more subdued affair than previous editions. It is the end of an era of commissions for Valextra's flagship store in Milan, and beginning of a new phase, company CEO Sara Ferrero tells Domus.

After Kengo Kuma's forest-like installaton and the pillowy white setting of Snarkitecture, the unornamneted tonal grey scheme puts Valextra products at the altar. 

Pawson's redesign is intended to herald a step back from the "gimmicky" yearly refresh, and shift towards a more grownup setting for the luxury leather accessories brand that was founded in Milan in 1937.  Pawson's design will remain in place for two years, rather than one. 

“For four years we've done more of an emersive experience where really the store had the role of protagonist and the products somehow became the acessory and the beautifer of the space,” Ferrero told Domus during the official reopening of the store during Milan fashion week. 

“This year we really wanted to have the master of the masters of Minimalist sophistication. What I love about this and what John does is that it has this museum feeling – like a church – where the product again conquers the role of protagonist.”

As part of this move to put the products back at the fore, Valextra has opened up its archive for the first time, presenting heritage handbags in simple glass vitrines alongside contemporary designs on Pawson's grey plinths.

Subtle under-shelf lighting and projecting surfaces play out a game of light and shadow, and new sightlines between the front and back of shop have been opened up by slicing through a wall that once blocked the rear of the split-level shop from view.