Sea urchin by Jacquemus & Kaspia

“I wanted to give this restaurant a decor inspired by Mediterranean villas, plastered with lime, one of my main sources of inspiration. I want customers to have the impression of having been transported to a terrace by the water, on a summer evening, when they are in the heart of Paris. As if they had been plunged into the nonchalant atmosphere of those summer days when the hours are countless, protected from the sun by a climbing vine. At Oursin, we are still in the South, like at Citron, but at the end of the day this time (note: Citron is the first restaurant opened by Jacquemus and the Kaspia group within the Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées). One of my passions is to unearth objects, so I was keen to source each of the pieces exhibited in the restaurant's niches. Another particularity of the place are the presentation plates designed by Daphne Léon, a Greek ceramic artist, which represent different Mediterranean dishes. We were inspired by the ceramics of Picasso for the realization of these objects”.

INTERVIEW WITH ROSALIE DUMOULIN, THE ARCHITECT

“From the outset, Simon Porte Jacque-mus wanted the place to be reminiscent of the South, be smiling, break the codes. That customers certainly have access to a top-of-the-range level of service, but in a warm atmosphere. It all started with a mood board he created. Based on his inspirations, our role was to make Simon's wishes realistic in the context of a restaurant that had to respect very specific codes, such as the constraints of the building - and in particular this central support pillar which has become a column dressed in niches – but also the comfort of the seats, the size of the tables…” explains Rosalie Dumoulin. There followed several stages of 3D representations in order to choose everything, element by element, as well as numerous work meetings bringing together the Jacquemus team, the Galeries Lafayette, the Versions architecture agency and the Kaspia group. " The challenge ? Succeed in designing a cozy place, a little away from the rest of the store, while obviously remaining visible to the store's customers. Hence the idea of ​​this wall gradually lowering and welcoming customers. »

To create an atmosphere of terrace dazzling with light, lime very quickly imposed itself. “We called on a craftsman who produced the lime on site. A more rational solution would have been to assemble on site the lime panels made upstream in the craftsman's workshop, but we wanted the rendering to be realistic, that there be no joints in the wall, in order to to avoid a decorum, pastiche side,” says Rosalie. “During the project, we quickly felt that the whole thing lacked nature. We had to find a way to bring a feeling of the outdoors. It was while discussing with the Jardins de Gally that the idea of ​​a climbing vine came up. This climbing side imposed itself quite naturally, because unlike a central tree, it makes it possible to elegantly cover part of the ceiling” she continues. The trunk is a real trunk that has been fireproofed, it is a vine stock, treated to make it rot-proof. As for the leaves, they are artificial. Les Jardins de Gally no longer work with naturalized vegetation, which caused them a concern for ecological awareness: because although natural, the vegetated leaves need to have been chemically treated.

Another strong element, visually? The 53 niches carved into the walls. Each of them has been fitted with a spotlight, usually used in jewellery, in order to play on reflections and colours. All the objects were found by Simon Jacquemus, who wanted to highlight the craftsmanship, by creating a contrast between very matt, opaque materials, such as terracotta or porcelain biscuit, and luminous materials such as crystal. or glassware.

VIEW

The lighting is connected, i.e. it adapts throughout the day. Thus, at lunchtime, with these large south-facing bay windows, the atmosphere is white, dazzling, with the impression that the sun pierces the foliage of the vine. Then in the evening, the lighting becomes dim, like a terrace with friends at nightfall.

THE SMELL

At Oursin, the teams voluntarily wanted there to be no dedicated olfactory design because customers arrive in a place, the Galeries Lafayette, which already has its own smell. This also allows them to focus on what is served on the plate.

TOUCH

The enamel itself. A stonemason and Compagnon du Devoir, based in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, also made a stone stoup for the toilets.

HEARING

It was important that Oursin had its own sound environment, to differentiate it from the rest of the store. The playlist has been specially selected by Joséphine from Jacquemus. A mix of Italian and French songs embellished with some Greek music that fits perfectly with the summer terrace atmosphere.

TASTE

After having officiated as executive chef of the Septime group, Erica Archambault took charge of the kitchen at Oursin, giving pride of place to seafood. Of course, southern influences are felt in the dishes – tarama d' sea ​​urchin, linguine with clams and their Sicilian salsa, red mullet escabèche – and create consistency with this southern patio atmosphere. Plates as sunny as the place.