LE COB

Client:
Sarl Le Cob
Surf:
250m²
Cost:
Mission:
Complete control 
Completion:
2018

The restaurant Le Cob is established in a building from the 1970s. Its small façade did not make it visible to the passersby even though it benefitted from a large opening out the back with a garden.
The existing concrete walls partitioned the 200m² room located on the ground floor, which also benefitted from high ceilings. We chose to use this configuration to create a space that can welcome a hundred guests in different areas and different atmospheres. 
Our client wanted to echo the equestrian theme that is omnipresent in Chantilly, which is why we wanted to distinguish ourselves from other restaurants by using photos and graphics of horses that would avoid the simpler first-degree allusions to the theme. Moreover, we suggested the name "Le Cob," which allowed us to elaborate a logo close to the esthetic developed in the restaurant. 
Drawing inspiration from its name and the raw aspect of the site, the interior design of the restaurant is based on materials like concrete, metal, and leather but we also added wood and fabrics to create a more welcoming atmosphere. The "low" elements (charis, tables, armchairs) are all in circular shapes, while rectangular metal structures highlight and embellish the ceiling that is elevated at more than 4m. 
Thus, one area includes benches, along the wall, covered in leather resembling horse skin to recreate a brasserie-chic style; whereas high tables in metal and wood, in another area, are conceived for a more rapid service. Lastly, an area is dedicated to a lounge where one can appreciate the restaurant even more, seated in low and comfortable armchairs dressed in fabrics. 
Regarding the restaurant's façade, which we wanted to make more visible, we added backlit metallic elements and an awning that matches the hotel's which is located in the same building.
Along one of the walls of the entry, products that one can buy are presented on shelves that add texture to the wall, while the opposite wall remains smooth with pixelized graphics of horses. The corridor then accompanies the customer up until the restaurant's seating area which opens up to the garden through floor-to-ceiling windows. 
The open kitchen-bar allows clients to admire the chefs at work and highlight the meals, that are finalized right before our eyes. 
Lighting is an integral part of the restaurant as letters in neon lights and the indirect spotlight on certain elements of the interior design highlight the overall restaurant and the metallic structures of the ceiling.
Multiple elements have been created to respond to the needs and events of the restaurant. Thus, one piece of furniture used for the hotel's breakfast service opens and closes depending on the activity of the day, while spaces have been made to allow music groups to animate the evening, and certain areas of the restaurant can be privatized.