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    Laurence Bonnel creates tactile restaurant interior informed by Japanese archipelago

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    Artworks are dotted throughout the interior of restaurant L’Abysse Monte Carlo in Monaco, for which its designers Laurence Bonnel and Rowin Atelier took cues from the Seto Inland Sea archipelago.

    Bonnel, who led the design and is the founder of Paris art gallery Scene Ouverte, also drew on the food served at the restaurant when creating the design.
    Headed up by chef Yannick Alléno and sushi connoisseur Yasunari Okazak, L’Abysse Monte Carlo mixes French cuisine with Japanese culinary traditions.
    L’Abysse Monte Carlo has an interior filled with artwork”The design has been inspired by the atmosphere Yannick Alléno wanted for the Abysse – precious and warm, a French vision of the way you feel in Japan,” Bonnel told Dezeen.
    “The sea, as it is a sushi restaurant, has also inspired the design,” she added.

    “Monte Carlo’s unique blend of French Riviera chic and international flair also influenced the design. I also wanted to create a sense of clarity, so upon entering, one feels immediately transported, as if stepping away from the world.”
    Pale pink chairs contrast against a dark blue rugBonnel has mixed materials including marble, travertine, wood, ceramics and velvet for the interior of the 90-square-metre restaurant, which is located inside the Hôtel Hermitage in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
    “I worked with ceramic and porcelain for their connection to Japanese ‘savoir-faire’, and the special soul they bring to a space – I’m an absolute lover of ceramics,” Bonnel explained.
    “The Versylis marble has a light grey tone with a hint of pink  – I went to choose the panels myself and it is reminiscent of a Japanese mountain drawing inside the stone,” she added. “I chose velvet fabric to bring the softness and warmth.”
    The Coral Wall installation adds texture to the spaceL’Abysse Monte Carlo’s interior also features artworks that evoke the sea, including artist William Coggin’s Coral Wall installation.
    “Art always enhances an interior, it gives life and soul to a space,” Bonnel said. “It also gives a special, sweet, warm atmosphere with a spectacular effect: you feel to be in a special place while feeling very comfortable.”
    The white ceramic wall decorations feature 3D forms that rise from the surface and resemble coral reefs, sand dunes and ocean waves.
    “The coral colour of William’s ceramic wall was the first choice, followed by the very light wood of the bar, which led me to the Versylis marble,” Bonnel said.
    An indigo rug fills the floor at L’Abysse Monte CarloBonnel worked with Rowin Atelier on a large indigo rug that covers the restaurant floor and nods to the indigo dye Ao blue, which is traditionally produced on the island of Shikoku near the Seto Sea and used for prints.
    “I wanted to retain the dark blue from the Paris location [of the hotel], so I collaborated with Rowin Atelier to incorporate this colour into the rug, creating a wave-like effect,” Bonnel explained.

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    “The sofas, also dark blue, are part of this wave,” she added. “I chose the soft pink seats to complement the Versylis marble and add warmth.”
    The restaurant also features pieces by artists Célia Bertrand, Silver Sentimenti and Caroline Désile.
    Designer Laurence Bonnel drew on influences from France and JapanThe decision to base the restaurant on the Seto Inland Sea archipelago came about as it has a recognisable geography, which is often depicted on the Japanese prints made with dye from the Shikoku island.
    “The Seto Inland Sea, with its thousands of islands and jagged coastline, served as our inspiration,” Rowin Atelier told Dezeen.
    “Our aesthetic desire was based on Japanese prints (Ukiyo-e) and the indigo colour, combined with the region’s distinctive geography,” the studio added.
    “It is also an idea of the shore where the waves run aground. The Shikoku island is the traditional island of indigo culture.”
    Soft pink seats were chosen to add warmth to the spaceOther Japanese restaurants recently featured on Dezeen include one in Los Angeles decorated with fallen street trees and another in Paris with an interior informed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs.
    The photography is by Sébastien Veronese.

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      Universal Design Studio models Biotherm's Monaco concept store on a laboratory

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      The visual language of scientific laboratories informed the look of this blue-lit concept store in Monaco, which London firm Universal Design Studio has devised for skincare brand Biotherm.

      Set inside Monaco’s historic Oceanographic Institute, Blue Beauty Lab is where buyers and other industry insiders can come to expand their knowledge of the science underpinning Biotherm’s skincare line.
      Visitors enter the Blue Beauty Lab via a circular doorwayAlthough the 30-square-metre concept store showcases a selection of the brand’s products, none of them are for sale. Instead, visitors can fully immerse themselves in the experience of being in the “lab”.
      “Brands are increasingly looking to physical presence for means above and beyond selling products,” explained Satoshi Isono, creative director at Universal Design Studio.
      “They’re harnessing spaces to storytell their core brand messaging in unique ways and ultimately connect with customers in a more impactful way.”

      The first section of the store is set up like a science labAs the outer walls of Blue Beauty Lab back onto water tanks harbouring various aquatic creatures, Universal Design Studio had to keep architectural interventions to a minimum. As a result, the store’s floor plan is fairly simple.
      To enter, visitors walk through a circular doorway and a short mirrored tunnel. The interior is washed in sea-blue light and split into two parts.
      Steel worktops and petri dishes add to the lab-like feel of the spaceThe first is an area reminiscent of a research lab that gives an insight into the production process of Life Plankton – an extract containing 35 different nutrients that Biotherm incorporates throughout some of its moisturisers, serums and skin peels.
      Stainless steel counters and glass shelving units run down the sides of the space, dotted with science paraphernalia like microscopes, petri dishes, test tubes and measuring flasks.

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      A small workshop forms the second part of the store, centred by a round table. Directly above is a large ring light emitting a bright white glow that enhances the lab-like feel of the space.
      Interactive visuals produced by multimedia design studios Superbien and AC3 Studio are projected on the surrounding walls.
      Measuring flasks and test tubes are also displayed on the shelvesThe clinical aesthetic of laboratories has also inspired a number of other interiors.
      Among them is a bike shop in Copenhagen by local designer Johannes Torpe and a cafe in Tokyo with a white-lacquered steel ceiling grid.

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