Mimi La Nuit
Design
La Firme
Production
2014
Original concept
Jeff Stinco et Edward Zaki
Branding
Johan Högdahl
Photo
If these walls could talk
Romance, mystery, a sense of the tantalizingly forbidden and covert--they hang over Mimi la nuit like smoke once hung under the low ceilings of prohibition-era speakeasies. The design of this bar and restaurant, built in a space full of illicit history that at one time housed a bordello, is an exercise in the theatrical.
The sign is inspired by the screen separating sinner from confessor in the confessional booth. A secret door and hallway that once brought sailors directly from the port to the warm beds of occasional friends now circumnavigates the bar to bring VIPs directly into the restaurant. Everything about Mimi speaks to secrets whispered in the dark.
An offset glass partition gives the space a slanted perspective and divides it so that it can serve the double function of bar and restaurant. The spaces can also bleed into each other depending on the evening’s demands.
Discreet lighting, noble materials
The century-old stone walls inspired both concept and design. Materials were chosen to convey warmth, richness and timelessness: oxidized and non-oxidised copper, marble, concrete, glass and ash. These are noble materials that age with grace and aren’t necessarily associated with a particular era. Lighting is mostly composed of incandescent lamps and indirect, reflected instead on copper plates and existing joists. The result is discreet, mysterious and smoky.
Three awards for La Firme
This project won La Firme the Commerce Design Awards 2015 - Jury Prize as well as two Grands Prix du design — Bar, lounge & nightclub plus Lighting categories.
