In Rue Saint Dominque, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, there’s a magical store that entices passers-by to come inside. Boulangeries Liberté, a new project by Franco-Israeli interior designer Emmanuelle Simon, is an inviting place that perfectly integrates into its setting, its bluestone floor closely resembling a Parisian sidewalk and creating a sense of continuity with the exterior.
The project, commissioned by the founder of Boulangeries, Mickael Benichou, is intended to be a celebration of the baker’s craft. This explains the vertical opening at the back of the store, through which customers can watch the bakers as they knead the dough and create a selection of sweet-scented delights.
Simon has used hand-crafted wooden elements to add a touch of refinement to the shop space, which has been thought out in every detail. The central island counter is finished with raku tiles, which also decorate the arched alcoves, adding a rhythm to the space. Raku is a Japanese ceramic technique that uses thermal shock to give random shapes to the material, in this case to imitate the particular texture of hot bread fresh from the oven.
The ceiling has twelve lamps from the BABA collection (also designed by Simon), crafted from chamotte and satin glass. With their colors, the lamps complement the roundness of the solid wood stools – also from the same collection.
Ph. credits: Jérôme Galland