The opening of the Saint Jean Bar has introduced a little corner of Paris into the city of Berlin. Designed by the practice of Thilo Reich, this intimate social space was created around the character and appearance of the young French owner, in spite of a range of obstacles including limited funds and spatial and building constraints of the basement location.
Dark green walls and anthracite oak floorboards set the mood for a space in which the customer feels comfortable in small or large groups. The bar sits center stage, constructed of an arrangement of piled wooden planks reclaimed from an old ship, a place where the owner can feel at home in the bar named after his home village. An industrial note is added through the black bar stools and the rusty shades of the French lamps and the backlit rusty objects displayed around the walls. The inspirational broken ladder behind the bar glows and reflects the appearance of the red haired Frenchman.
The result of this low key design of the interior is a destination without excess, an establishment which reflects the simple laid back French culture which doesn’t need to prove a thing and a home from home for owner who can welcome his guests to enjoy a drink or two away from the bright lights of Berlin.
