British designer Tom Dixon's interior for Paris restaurant Éclectic combines raw, industrial concrete surfaces with tactile brass, marble and leather details.
Commissioned by restaurateurs Fabienne and Philippe Amzalak, the restaurant is the first flagship interior in France to be completed by Dixon's interior design office, Design Research Studio.
Located in the Beaugrenelle Centre - a redevelopment of a monolithic concrete shopping mall originally opened in 1978 - the 160-cover brasserie features materials and motifs intended as an homage to 1970s brutalist architecture.
"Tom Dixon began with the idea of making the restaurant an integral part of its modernist surroundings," explained a statement from Éclectic. "The technical areas of the building are exposed for maximum space, and concrete - the superstar of brutalism - is exploited in every possible texture."
Concrete floors are left raw in places and waxed in others, while structural columns and ceiling beams are left exposed and the material is juxtaposed with warm brass panels on the walls.
The angular forms popularised by exponents of Brutalist architecture influenced the recurring use of geometric shapes, which appear in the hexagonal wall panels, the sharp edges of the panels surrounding the circular booths, and a faceted plinth at the entrance.
Fitted furniture creates different environments throughout the space, while brass table tops and benches upholstered in fabric and leather give the seating areas a warm and tactile feel.
A long curving bench provides seating with a view of the river Seine through full-height windows.
The interior features several examples of Dixon's furniture and lighting, including a huge central chandelier made from 124 of his Cell lights.
Pieces including high tables with inverted conical tops, rounded sinks in the bathrooms that resemble Dixon's Void lamps, and the angular podium at the entrance provide a sculptural presence.
As well as the Cell chandelier, smaller clusters of the lamps illuminate tables, while Dixon's Etch lights, Base lamp and Lustre pendants also feature.
Photography is by Thomas Duval.
The following information is from Éclectic:
Tom Dixon's Éclectic opens in the Beaugrenelle Centre, Paris
After relooking Le Bon and launching Ma Cocotte, Fabienne and Philippe Amzalak open Éclectic restaurant this January in the magnetically attractive surroundings of the Beaugrenelle Centre in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. For this address within an address, the couple entrusted the design brief to UK designer Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio: its first flagship interior in France. The menu offerings give a contemporary twist to brasserie classics in this new 160-cover eatery.
A happy marriage between Parisian chic and British eccentricity, a free-form tribute to 1970s architecture and a new take on the traditional brasserie format to create a more private and more comfortable experience. The clue to the identity of Eclectic is right there in the name: a concept that mixes influences on the menu and in the restaurant.
70'S First
Tom Dixon began with the idea of making the restaurant an integral part of its modernist surroundings. The technical areas of the building are exposed for maximum space, and concrete - the superstar of brutalism - is exploited in every possible texture.
On the walls, it alternates with a backdrop of golden brass. On the floors, it is sometimes unfinished, sometimes waxed, and interspersed with areas of thick carpet to offset its potentially cold appearance.
Hexagons are used as a recurring theme, recalling the geometric and modular concepts of the 1970s. This theme is clear in the spaces formed by the interlocking central bench seats, the brass detailing that frames the view to the kitchen, and again in the design of the 124 metal lampshades of the chandelier, which presides over the dining room as the central pivot of its decorative style.
English Twists
Lighting is central to Tom Dixon's design scheme, which showcases his talent for creative mood making. An orchestra of different lamps provides controlled lighting designed to reflect effectively from superb surfaces of wood, metal, stone and paint, and enhance the colours used for fabrics and leathers.
This scheme creates an interior where the influence of the architectural environment is balanced against the magnetic appeal of the department stores.
The bespoke furniture is sculptural, even jewel-like in places. It structures the dining room around key elements that include the imposing coloured leather bench seats, the central alcoves and a succession of small open lounges along the wall overlooking the River Seine.
The result is a hyperquality mix-and-match that is elegantly welcoming and makes the 300 m2 dining room an intimate and friendly space.