Prime Highlights:
- Designer Luke Edward Hall gives Paris’s Deux Gares Express a cozy 1960s-inspired look that blends British charm with French elegance.
- The restaurant’s design focuses on warmth, comfort, and a “home-like” feel, encouraging guests to relax and enjoy classic French dishes.
Key Facts:
- Deux Gares Express sits next to the Les Deux Gares Hotel, also designed by Hall, and is led by restaurateurs Jonathan Schweizer and Frédéric Lesire.
- The interior features green walls, hessian wallpaper, antique furniture, and a faux marble ceiling painted by artist Pauline Leyravaud.
Background:
In the heart of Paris, designer Luke Edward Hall has reimagined the city’s dining scene with Deux Gares Express, a restaurant that blends British eccentricity and French elegance in a space designed to feel like home. Located next to the Les Deux Gares hotel, which Hall also designed, the new restaurant offers a distinct atmosphere one that draws inspiration from the 1960s and 70s, contrasting the hotel’s more Art Deco-inspired in-house eatery.
At Deux Gares Express, guests step into a cozy space with green walls, hessian wallpaper, and a mix of old and custom-made furniture designed to feel warm and inviting. Hall said he aimed to create a warm, welcoming space where both hotel guests and visitors could unwind and enjoy simple pleasures like a sandwich or an ice cream sundae.
The restaurant, helmed by restaurateurs Jonathan Schweizer and Frédéric Lesire, celebrates classic French cuisine. Yet, the interiors tell a story that’s both cosmopolitan and nostalgic, filled with British personality and French artistry. A custom-made English dresser, stocked with books, board games, and ceramics, captures Hall’s love for “clutter”, a hallmark of British interiors that, he says, “makes a house a home.”
The space’s antique centerpiece table, sourced from a French monastery, anchors the dining area, while faux marble ceilings painted by artist Pauline Leyravaud bring a touch of playful grandeur.
The sunny yellow bar, patterned geometric floor, and palette of green, brown, and yellow echo the optimism of mid-century design. Even the bathroom wallpaper, dating back to 1803, nods to timeless French craftsmanship.
Ultimately, Hall’s vision was to create a place that feels convivial, lived-in, and joyful. “Restaurants are all about friendliness and liveliness,” he reflected.
With Deux Gares Express, Hall once again proves his mastery of creating spaces that blend heritage, whimsy, and heartfelt hospitality, a true celebration of cross-Channel creativity in the French capital.
