MVRDV’s façade for the Tiffany & Co. boutique in Stuttgart, Germany, has been honoured with the Award of Honor at the 2026 SARA NY Design Awards, recognising a design that combines craftsmanship, architectural innovation, and the luxury brand’s historic identity. Completed between 2022 and 2024, the 165 m² retail façade is located in Stuttgart’s Dorotheen Quartier and reinterprets Tiffany & Co.’s legacy through a contemporary architectural installation.

The façade consists of 2,829 hand-crafted ceramic elements, each shaped like a faceted diamond. Mounted directly onto the glass storefront using custom-designed steel fixings, the ceramic pieces appear to float across the façade. By positioning the diamonds on both the interior and exterior sides of the glazing, MVRDV created a layered, immersive environment that surrounds visitors with suspended jewel-like forms while preserving the transparency of the storefront.

The density of the ceramic diamonds varies across the façade to balance openness and privacy. Around display windows and at the building’s corner, the pattern gradually dissolves, allowing clear views into and out of the boutique while maintaining the visual impact of the installation.

Each ceramic diamond was individually produced using the traditional slip-casting method before being glazed in one of nine carefully selected colours. Together, these colours create a gradient that transitions from Tiffany’s signature robin’s-egg blue to pristine white. The gradual shift in colour attracts attention to the storefront while enabling the building to blend harmoniously with the neutral architectural palette of the surrounding Dorotheen Quartier.

The ceramic elements were manufactured by Koninklijke Tichelaar, the oldest ceramics manufacturer in the Netherlands and a specialist in developing custom ceramic glazes. Beyond the colour gradient, each diamond features an iridescent finish that changes subtly depending on lighting conditions, weather, and viewing angle. This shimmering surface was developed through a collaboration between Tichelaar and MVRDV using carefully controlled variations in mineral composition and glazing temperature across each ceramic piece, creating a natural, dynamic effect.

The iridescent finish references Favrile Glass, the richly coloured decorative glass patented by Louis Comfort Tiffany in the 1890s, reinforcing the connection between the façade and the brand’s long history of material experimentation and craftsmanship.

Commenting on the project, MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs said the design sought to capture the sense of wonder and enchantment that has defined Tiffany & Co. since its beginnings. Through the illusion of floating diamonds and their constantly shifting iridescent surfaces, the façade transforms the storefront into an architectural expression of the brand’s heritage while offering visitors a memorable visual experience.