There’s a new reason to go to Geneva: it has to do with India Mahdavi and Ladurée
Conceived for a cosmopolitan and sophisticated clientele, the new store at the Four Seasons of the French pastry, renowned for its macarons, looks like a garden of wonders
An imaginative journey populated by colourful delicacies: this is how architect and designer India Mahdavi designed the three spaces dedicated to the Ladurée universe within the Hotel des Bergues, a historic aristocratic palace overlooking Lake Geneva, which nowadays houses the Four Seasons.
The recently renovated luxury hotel turned out to be the perfect embodiment of the new image of Ladurée, the French pastry brand famous for the delicious macarons and their elegant packaging. In perfect harmony with the atmosphere of the Hotel des Bergues, India Mahdavi created a sophisticated and seductive environment of over 200 Sq m that includes a pastry shop, a restaurant, and a tearoom: three areas that complete each other and, together, evoke an enchanting garden of delights.
The leitmotif of the project, which celebrates at once gluttony and a wholly French charm, is the recurrence of sensual curved shapes, which can be found in the exposition furniture, with its fluted surfaces, as well as in the benches and sloping tables in a palette of pastel tints. Conceived to host also private events, the tearoom with its starry walls is reminiscent of a magic green and gold theatre: its furnishings include a handcrafted large circular bench and round tables with an original twisted base.
The theme of the floor, extravagant and precious with its black and white tiles cut into a diamond pattern, recurs also in the pastry shop and in the spacious and bright dining room, where shades of pale pink and forest green combine with each other, and where curvilinear seats decorated by gilded buttons and backrests as wavy as festoons, ceramic tables similar to lollipops, and bizarre meringue-shaped lamps find their place.
India Mahdavi states that on the occasion of the opening of the Geneva pâtisserie she also designed an exclusive package containing seven assorted Ladurée macarons: “I wanted to recreate a special place, somewhere to experience a true sense of happiness, a sensory course through a fairy tale atmosphere, where to stop for a coffee in the morning, have a pleasant lunch, or meet for tea or a drink.” The result? A surprising space, at once contemporary and quaint, one that invites to enjoy the sin of gluttony without regrets.
Opening photo: ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER INDIA MAHDAVI EVOKES THE FANTASTIC WORLD OF A FAIRY TALE FOR THE NEW LADURÉE STORE IN GENEVA, OPENED BY THE FAMOUS FRENCH PASTRY IN THE HOTEL DES BERGUE
THE TEAROOM INTERIOR IS DEVOTED TO THE TASTING OF LADURÉE’S DELICIOUS SPECIALTIES. SHADES OF PALE PINK AND FOREST GREEN COMBINE WITH FRAME-DECORATED MIRROR WALLS
WITH THEIR DELICATE PASTEL TINTS, THE CHAIRS DESIGNED FOR THE LADURÉE STORE CREATE AN ELEGANT ATMOSPHERE TO ENJOY A RELAXING PAUSE. ON THE FLOOR ARE BLACK AND WHITE TILES ARRANGED IN A DIAMOND MOTIF
INDIA MAHDAVI DESIGNED FOR THE PASTRY SHOP AREA, PERIMETRIC SHELF UNITS AND EXHIBITION TABLES MADE MORE PRECIOUS BY ELEGANT GROOVES REMINISCENT OF LIQUORICE STICKS
200 SQM HOST PASTRY SHOP, RESTAURANT, AND LOUNGE, ALL DEDICATED TO THE LADURÉE BRAND: THREE AREAS CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER BY A MASTERFUL GAME OF SHADES AND CHROMATIC MATCHES
THE CIRCULAR LOUNGE, WHICH CAN HOST PRIVATE EVENTS, IS ESPECIALLY FASCINATING. ON THE WALLS, A DECORATION EVOKES THE STARRY SKY, WHEREAS THE DARK GREEN FURNITURE IS INSPIRED BY A MAGICAL FOREST
DESIGNER INDIA MAHDAVI, DESIGNER OF THE GENEVA PROJECT, AND DAVID HOLDER, PRESIDENT OF THE HOLDER GROUP, WHICH IN 1992 ACQUIRED THE PRESTIGIOUS LADURÉE BRAND
THE HUGE CIRCULAR BENCH WITH A CURVILINEAR BACKREST, PLACED IN THE GREEN AND GOLD STARRY HALL, EMPHASISES THE ENTIRE PERIMETER OF THE ROOM
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