FOREWORD
Opened in 2013 and the second restaurant of the famous chain of gourmet burgers, Blend Beaumarchais restaurant is emblematic by its location and success. Following condominium work and an approach to revaluing the identity of its restaurants, Victor Garnier, the creator of the brand, wants to make a facelift: the facade and interior design are the subject of a whole. new writing both architectural and in terms of uses.
LOOKING FOR FIRST AMERICAN DINNERS
The project starts with a thorough research on the origin of the first American diners, where the famous rolls were born, which are now a big hit on the French gastronomic scene. Born in the late nineteenth century in the United States, diners, made popular thanks to the American movies of the 50s and 60s, were old train cars quickly refitted in restaurants. The setting is warm, family and it comes as much for its atmosphere as for the culinary offer.
The former premises have been completely redesigned as a space that cultivates a certain lifestyle: a new distribution combining functionality of the place and practicality of use with quality of reception and comfort of use.
A SAVANT MIX BETWEEN FUNCTIONALITY AND DOMESTICITY
The composition of the facade and interior design are intimately linked in a concern of functionality for these restaurants working at a breakneck pace: on one side, a small sash window, modeled on the New York «Take Away», is used for takeaway sales. It is located in the extension of the bar, which is itself an extension of the hot kitchen. This optimized circuit makes it possible to respond efficiently to Deliveroo’s many deliveries without disrupting the service and comfort of the on-site tasting.
A second guillotine window, in the extension of the seats allows also to bathe the room of natural light.
Bright, the facade is also by the use of off-white sandstone tiles: this enamel work and the different formats have been designed specifically for the project in collaboration with a Norman craft company. The use of this unique material in the historic center of Paris also ensures the durability of the facade: easy to maintain, the ceramic tile is also stable and deforms little. It also brings back to the facade a more domestic and relaxed dimension.
« As at home» here the front door is a mailbox. Dressed in patinated bronze, it catches the eye and constitutes an invitation to enter. In the evening, once the service is over, Venetian curtains in strips of wood mean that the place is closed to the public.
LIVING PROJECT, PLACE OF LIFE
There was much to do to make this small space (25 m2 room, counter included) friendly and open to all. The integration of all the technical constraints to the realization of a restaurant (hot / cold kitchen) led to the drawing of a rectangular volume which is cut out quite simply in two major spaces: a large solid wood counter on the left, and a sitting room on the right. At the back, an elegant sliding door, reminiscent of the doors of the train cars, leads to the technical rooms and the basement. On the ceiling, the architect discovers a major beam that supports the building: an accident which he takes advantage in the design of the false ceiling in the form of a wave lacquered glossy metal. No free, the wave is also a source of integrated lighting for the entire room. Beyond the semantic wink, the materials used such as stainless steel, melamine, ceramic and micro-perforated lacquered metal, were chosen mainly for their technical properties: durability, hygiene, solidity, acoustics. Solid wood, natural leather, mirrors, lighting fixtures and antique furniture give space a more intimate universe. Thus, from the facade to the interior, the project puts forward this beautiful ordinary that is loved in the places where one feels Well, where we come and come back to share a good meal like these first and endearing American dining cars.
2016
2017
Lead Architect
FRANKLIN AZZI
Team
Execution architects : Franklin Azzi
Structure study office : Bureau d’étude Gervais
Technical controller : Veritas
Clients
Blend Hamburger Goumet
