The result of Romanticism, then, is liberalism, toleration, decency and the appreciation of the imperfections of life; some degree of increased rational self-understanding.
– Philosopher Isaiah Berlin
Les Morilles, hidden in an office building beside the Liangma River in Beijing, is an old French restaurant slightly larger than a living room, specializing in authentic Parisian cuisine. It has been rated as a Michelin plate restaurant for two consecutive years, just like its location: low-key and good reputation.
Project name: LES MORILLES French Restaurant
Project location: Beijing, China
Project area: 220㎡
Design time: 2021.3
Design completion time: 2021.7
Design firm: Tanzo Space Design (www.tanzospace.com)
Chief designer: Wang Daquan
Design executor: Ma Hongxu
Lighting design: BAFANZHU
Brand design: Tian Yangning
Project Photography: Ricky（UK Studio）
Project video: Mr. Xiao（Rock）
Copywriting: NARJEELING
Wang Daquan：LES MORILLES French Restaurant
The three young founders, including the chef, have studied management and cooking in Switzerland and France, and have excellent taste for oriental aesthetics. In 2022, this French restaurant, which originally only wanted to be a meeting place for friends, will be upgraded. From brand identity to interior space, designer Wang Daquan completed the interior space design in nearly a year. In the calm reflection of the Liangma River in Beijing, this French restaurant belongs only to the city.
Beijing LES MORILLES Restaurant is located in the Yansha business district, beside the Liangma River. In 2021, 2020, and 2019, it was selected as the YELP Two Diamond Black Pearl Restaurant, and in 2021 and 2020, it was selected as the “Michelin Plate Restaurant”.
The restaurant uses oriental ingredients and spices while combining traditional and new French cooking techniques. There are strict requirements for each ingredient, and each dish is carefully prepared by an experienced team of overseas chefs to take care of customers’ desire for food.
Chapter1
“It should be the emotion itself”
The building where Les Morilles is located is roughly the same period as Beijing Lufthansa Building and was built by the Germans. The original foundation, including the door and window structure, is fine, but it also limits the space that can be changed.
The water in the capital has always been precious. The Liangma River was once used to wash the dusty carcasses of merchant horses, and was later used as a sightseeing river for many years. It is somehow connected with the distant Seine in Paris. The rising mist and drizzle just cast a blurred and tender filter on the restaurant. Now there is no nameplate at the door of Les Morilles restaurant, regular customers enter the building, push open the thick door with brass door handles, and slip into the restaurant. New customers will linger in front of the narrow and tall door, which is the introduction of the whole scene.
The designer made this small space extremely provocative, with an aura mixed with fullness and depth, pressing into a restrained silence, making the sexy and romantic place more soothing and exciting——
It’s not an emotion, it should be the emotion itself.
Chapter 2
Space Schedule and Collage
When entering a hallway, the eyes first adapt to the sudden dimming and flooding of light onto the body. The stone-nailed road glowed orange under the wall washer. The walls are mottled and shiny, as if you can smell the damp city and inland river at night. You want to walk around the corner quickly, but you are secretly led by an unknown stranger.
The vaulted ceiling overlaps with the torsion overhead, and the three curved surfaces of the organic atmosphere define the sculptural shell of the space. A soft and dynamic feel permeates the strong kinks of the material. After seeing the inward twist and fold, the line of sight changes immediately, and the scene changes, and you come to the dining area with classical style and oriental flavor. Multiple groups of scenes are spliced internally, compact but without losing the sense of alienation. The glass curtain wall and partition sliding doors connect the space in a montage way, implying the sense of belonging inspired by the randomness and strangeness of the city with dynamic logic. In the process of exploring the space here, the unrestrained kindness and stability will gradually break your stereotype of high-profile and complicated French cuisine.
Entering the private room, you can see the European classical palace style at a glance, and the fusion of oriental symmetry and elegance makes the interior look majestic. At the same time, after re-planning, the debris space has been fully utilized. Sophisticated architecture adds volume and dimension to the space – there are no Instagram photos or seating placements that easily go unnoticed, every spot has the right view and ambiance. However, guests often indicate where they want to sit that day, which is more in line with the mood and social type of the day.
Under the lights of the city, finding and returning home are eternal themes. Inside its buildings, some people are confused and some are at a loss.
Chapter 3
Sensory touch
Les Morilles is a kaleidoscopic variety of lines and colours, surfaces and materials. The founder and the designer work together to purchase materials in various cities, strictly select the color and feel, and pay attention to whether the wear marks of long-term use are suitable. Although the space is new, it seems to come from ancient times.
On the facade, art paints and wall coverings are layered; black metal strips outline the edges, forming a rhythm with thick curved corners; the bright red color of the old restaurant is used, and it is reflected in silk, velvet, and leather fabrics after modification above; the psychedelic red, yellow and blue lanterns render the seductiveness and ambiguity of Paris; the dark walnut floor is paved in the authentic French style, and the whole space is pulled into the deep background together with the antique decoration.
Glass-filtered soft skylights sprinkle the entire restaurant, and diners will feel a simple and modern feeling when they walk in. As soon as you sit down, you will be immersed in the retro old scene, with moderate privacy and no sense of oppression.
In this space narrative scene, the lost night scene of Paris is offset by the propriety and warmth of the space. Compared with the silky smoothness of the modern city, the emotional particles of the slightly rough Beijing urban atmosphere are more attractive in LES MORILLES. The feeling of relaxation is like a flowing river, become the sparkling wallpaper on the desktop of LES MORILLES consciousness.
Chapter 4
The river runs forever
The soil of our plough is all stardust, which floats everywhere with the wind
And in a glass of rain water, we drink the universe
From emotion to touch, from taste to music, from color to light, the non-linear sense of flow converges into an energy flow in this space.
Multimedia artist Chen Xi’s digital works, with the collision of futuristic surrealism and nostalgic space waves, show its powerful power – free life forms express rich organizational relationships, freedom, romance, water…More Unspeakable emotional relationships and life energies in distant, grander directions. Digital art enhances the atmosphere of the entire space. Wherever you sit, bubbles and water can enter your field of vision, becoming a river of consciousness.
Whether it is famous wines in the capital or famous dishes, Les Morilles can be called a “flowing feast”. From taste to life, from nature to the energy flow of the universe, it shows the vision and vitality of this old French restaurant. an important aspect.
During the renovation process, the old building with a small space puts forward many requirements for dealing with structure and dynamics, which also means precise scale control. It seems to be a design concept that incorporates oriental taste into a French restaurant, or connects the spirits of two distant cities, but through connections with emotions and other imaginations, such as the concept of contemporary cuisine, emotional appeals to people, etc., the idea is Powerful, urban exploration, etc., together form the harmony of this restaurant.
In the future, after the outdoor garden is completed, entering the restaurant, tasting wine before meals, strolling in the garden, and sitting down to eat will constitute a more complete experience. Les Morilles opened on the banks of the Liangma River, where the neon lights blend, waiting for new people to come.
