Dining Out in Paris, France

PARIS, FRANCE

Restaurant: Beefbar Paris, beefbar.com
Architecture & Design: Humbert et Poyet, humbertpoyet.com
Square feet: 2,215
Number of seats: 130
Chef: Gabriele Faiella

“Working with a monumental and historical space is a gift for an architect,” says Emil Humbert, “a source of inspiration and, at the same time, the opportunity to design and interpret the space with imagination.” Their rich canvas was Emil Hurtré’s 1898 Langham Hotel in the eighth arrondissement, which for years was the famed brasserie Fermette Marbeuf. Divided into a bifurcated “1900 room” dripping with ornamentation and a sleeker bar, Humbert explains how the firm transformed the spaces for modern carnivores: “The relevance to today can be found in the selection of furnishings, finishes, and lighting, which are contemporary but remain connected to Art Nouveau (green tones, heavily patterned flooring) and Art Deco (marble elements, etched walls, aged mirrors, lacquered walnut, brass fittings). The floral motifs in the 1900 room inspired the creation of the floor pattern and the design of the monumental ironwork door.”