Designer's Note
“Located in one of Paris oldest neighborhoods, the historical Le Marais. This project is one of the smallest ciguë has designed for the brand, and the first one in their home turf.
As it is recurrent in this city, spaces are usually non-linear and feature unusual connections, as a result of different superposed layers of history.
The result is a location in two parts: the front entry and main counter, directly open to the street. The façade is redesigned taking inspiration in Le Marais traditional Ateliers (workshops): a regular sequence of vertical windows on steel frames open up the interior to as much light as possible, as an answer to a compact space with low ceilings dating to the middle ages. The main counter honours this workshop and craftsmanship tradition, resulting in a rational stainless steel volume integrating all functions in a tight space.
The back room, belongs to a more recent period in history, featuring higher ceiling and a generous space opening to an interior courtyard. It was a straightforward choice to dedicate this space to the seating area. Taking inspiration from Parisian apartments (on the upper floors in the same building), we layed-out benches and tables on an oak wood floor surrounded by white walls and ceiling. A full mirrored partition at the back doubles up the space. The space is completed by two features: a chemex wall partially filled with plants and suspension lamps, designed by ciguë for the brand. To achieve integration between these two spaces, the wood floor is continuous from the entrance through the intermediate corridor to the end of the back room and a white finish on changing surfaces has been chosen for the rest of the shell.”
– ciguë
