Decorating & Design
Discover Traces and the Car That Inspired It — a Range Rover, of Course!
Published on May 7, 2026
Traces was a breathtaking installation by Range Rover in collaboration with spatial designers Storey Studio, all about celebrating objects of desire, where craftsmanship, creativity and individuality converge, at this year’s Milan Design Week.
The exhibit combined large-scale spatial design, stunning original film, bespoke sound immersion and commissioned embroidered artwork from a selection of independent artists before unveiling a stunning bespoke Range Rover commission, the Pearl of Tay.
“Range Rover’s Traces installation beautifully brings to life elements of the Range Rover Bespoke service — reserved for our most exclusive and discerning clients seeking true distinction,” says Anna Gallagher, managing director of Range Rover’s Bespoke Operations. “It shines a spotlight on the work of our artisan craftspeople, from our paint experts to our embroidery team.”
The car itself — the Pearl of Tay — is entirely one-of-one, designed to exemplify that same dedication to craft displayed by its collaborators at Storey Studio and Scottish gallery Bard. Its stunning bespoke pearlescent exterior paint might steal the headlines, but its soft, refined interior — light, airy, almost imposingly beautiful — emphasizes the concept of tailor-made excellence. The result is an exhibition and a vehicle that not only reflects Range Rover’s dedication to bespoke craft but also re-establishes its place amongst Milan Design Week’s must-see exhibitors.
A rare freshwater pearl of the River Tay in Scotland, the inspiration for the one-of-one bespoke Range Rover displayed in Milan, rests on a kilt pin. The pearl was sourced from Bard, a gallery dedicated to celebrating Scottish craft and design.
Range Rover’s exhibition was designed to reflect an outdoor landscape and the pearl’s natural environment, with black gravel covering the ground, pearlescent fins running the length of the ceiling to represent water, and 14 objects (including the pearl) curated by Bard.
This fully personalized Range Rover reflects the brand’s dedication to craft.
The pearlescent exterior is as understated and refined as one would expect from the British luxury brand. Ultimately, the model was the perfect showcase for just how extensive and personalized customizing one’s own Range Rover truly is.
A closer look at the one-of-a-kind bespoke Range Rover, with its bespoke pearlescent exterior paint.
While the exhibition itself was enough to draw a line down the Milanese streets, it was the subtlest details that truly differentiate the Pearl of Tay model. This is the second-straight year Range Rover has exhibited in Milan. Given its commitment to bespoke design and refined craftsmanship, it only made sense for the brand to grow its presence here once again.
A beautifully woven oak tattle from Bard’s collection sits on a bed of black gravel, meant to reflect the Scottish landscape.
The tattle was one of 14 objects curated by Bard and Range Rover. Each piece was selected for its emotional, “talismanic quality,” according to Bard founder Hugo Macdonald. He described them as otherworldly attractions, and something that bridges the past and future together.
The exhibition’s first chapter, Memory and Colour, combined an original film with bespoke sound and floor-to-ceiling mirrors to create an immersive sensory experience.
The exhibition’s opening chapter, Memory and Colour, immersed us in a film by renowned director Felipe Sanguinetti. Projected across four walls and reflected in surrounding mirrors to create an infinite spatial effect, the film traces memories from Sanguinetti’s upbringing to his life as a creative.
The second chapter of the exhibition, Memory and Motif, included four commissioned artists who created illustrations from their personal memories of Milan.
Each room was designed with mirrors that enveloped us as we walked through the spaces, reflecting the “infinite possibilities of the Range Rover Bespoke offering,” from colour and finish to embroidery and materiality. Throughout our visit, we experienced three immersive chapters. Mirrors throughout each chapter were meant to reflect the “infinite possibilities of the Range Rover Bespoke offering” – from colour and finish to embroidery and materiality.
The striking white interior of the one-of-one Range Rover model, housed in Milan’s stunning Galleria Meravigli.
“For us, it’s the ideal environment to immerse into the Range Rover philosophy of creating truly unique objects of desire through the unlimited design and individualization possibilities of Range Rover Bespoke,” says Martin Limpert, Range Rover’s global managing director. “Traces is an invitation to celebrate Range Rover’s craft‑led personalization, not as a process but as a deeply emotional experience, shaped by memory, place and the instinct for beauty. We’re proud to bring this vision to life in collaboration with Storey Studio, and to present it alongside some of the most extraordinary craft objects and leading creative voices working today.”
Subtle finishes, a refined white colourway and intricate embroidery underscore the handcrafted details that go into Range Rover’s Bespoke service.
Custom embroidery punctuates the Pearl of Tay’s understated ivory tones, with every material and colour purposefully selected to create a cohesive vision. When it comes to both the exhibition and the model itself, it’s clear that the British luxury brand is determined to leave no stone unturned (and no detail unrefined). “Milan Design Week is one of the most important moments in the global design calendar, bringing leaders across an array of fields together to experience and inspire contemporary design leadership,” explains Martin Limpert, Range Rover’s global managing director.
Photography courtesy of Range Rover.