Michael Malapert hands over to the famous young pastry chef Cedric Grolet, his long-awaited boutique. A substantial achievement for the architect and interior designer, who designed and completed the 3-story project in 7 months only. A challenge that confirms that his style and his vision for living spaces, seduce today’s entrepreneurs.

In this 300m² shop and Tea Room situated at 35, avenue de l’Opéra, Michael Malapert plays with the distinctive codes of the World Best Pastry Chef 2018 – white, grey, gold, stoned, pure, arty, useful, parisian, (and the really) beautiful – and declines in Cedric Grolet’s new flagship, the chosen thematic of the flower.

A BURSTING AND INNOVATIVE BOUTIQUE

Michael Malapert loves to open the spaces to make them look bigger and more radiant.

In this case, he imagines a full height window facade to create a master view within the shop from the street. Illuminated day and night, the boutique becomes unmissable for the passers-by.

The circulation of people and energies being at the heart of his work ; on the ground floor, he chose to imbricate the 2 main points of interest : on the left side, a bloc shape counter for the pastries and on the right side, another one for the bakery. These 2 counters are made of stone, the left one is white, sleek and flawless, and the right one is grey, raw and in relief. They face each other in a perfect symmetry.

 At last, he created a double flow circulation in the shop, in order to welcome and serve quickly a great number of clients all day long, foreseeing the same traffic as its sister shop at the Meurice Hotel.

Faithful to himself, and supported by Cedric Grolet, Michael Malapert wanted to put more meaning and usefulness in this project.

For instance, a bread is never as good as when it just comes out from the oven, and this is true for the madeleines as well… This is the reason why; the baking equipment has been put on the ground floor to be fully shown.

By installing on each side, a specific oven, a combi oven for the pastries and a hearth oven for the bakery, and by showing the last steps of the production, the architect-designer re-think the uses of the bakery-pastry shop of today.

On the decor side, the Parisian architecture shell has been kept – stone wall, haussmannian mouldings, huge stucco rosette – and is mixed with few subtle touches of modernity like the two long metal pendant lights, or the forged iron handrail, whose drawing is inspired by the vegetal spirit, and makes an echo to the thematic of the flower, or the small letters on the floor playing with the name of Cedric Grolet.

The overall impression is simplicity and nobility in the materials, two recurrent notions in Cedric Grolet’s work.

 A TEAROOM AS DELICATE AS THE PASTRIES OFFERED

Situated on the 1st Floor and accessible from a huge turning white lime staircase, the tasting area plays with the same classical code of the chic Parisian apartments, with the mouldings and the herringbone wood flooring, and showcases more contemporary choices.

Michael Malapert imagines on the two big walls a long built-in bench. In subtle shades of white, beige and light grey, they are covered by an accumulation of small pieces of broken tiles and padded on the seat and the back by a Cognac leather to shake the ambiance. Facing them, a set of cosy and mixed armchairs in dark fabric frames narrow bistro tables, imagined in classy brass and dark marble.

In the centre, a big and round service bar, created in the same design as the tables, designed with a hammered brass front and a very thick black stone counter. High grey felt fabric stools circle it comfortably. In lieu of a ceiling rosette, a big golden round mirror proudly stands above the central bar and allow people from the street to see what’s going on, like a call for delicacies.

A private room for 8 people has been also imagined at the back of the tearoom, and stages again a golden mirror, this time on the wall, a comfortable and wrapping curved upholstered sofa and an iron forged handrail.

On the ceiling, a series of delicate hanging lamps illuminate in rhythm, a lake of paper handmade water lilies, designed by the artist Mathilde Nivet. Mixing from the grey to the light pink, they are made in the shape, from now on iconic, of the flower created for the pastries.