Client’s brief:
● To design and build Merci Marcel’s flagship café and bar on Orchard Road that target “urban bohemians”, its third F&B outlet in the country.
● To bring the Merci Marcel brand of contemporary Parisian-style café and bar with a patio dining space that opens to the shopping district.
● To incorporate a multi-brand concept store into the space
● To incorporate some of the fun and quirky art and objects the clients have collected over the years into the space.
Design Statement
A contemporary and whimsical Paris-style café and bar with a nod to the tropics through the use of colours, textures, design and lighting details, and vintage and modern furniture.
The Site
Having successfully launched the popular Merci Marcel F&B outlets on Club Street and in Tiong Bahru, the client (Antoine Rouland and Marie-Charlotte Ley Rouland of FROG’YS Pte. Ltd.) was ready to launch its flagship café, bar and multi-brand store in Palais Renaissance, a destination mall with unique brands. The client acquired the space previously occupied by a European luxury watchmaker for Merci Marcel Orchard Road, totalling 2377 sqf with a premium 10-metre frontage with a view of the shopping district. HUI DESIGNS is pleased to once again partner with the client to design and deliver its distinctive F&B vision.
The Façade and Patio
With a street view from its space on level one, the client and I agreed that we needed to include a corner dining patio to the design - one that opens to Orchard Road on one side and offers a side view of the Royal Thai Embassy.
This required that we hack the building’s external walls. I designed sweeping arches of metal framed windows, walls and doors as a nod to a style popular with bungalows in 1950s Singapore and reminiscent of Bauhaus architecture. This immediately raised the visibility of Merci Marcel Orchard Road and connected the shopping district with the new flagship outlet.
The Café and Bar
The client requested for a foyer at the entrance to create a sense of arrival before customers enter the café and bar. It also functions as a side entrance to the multi-brand store carrying predominantly French products.
I designed a welcoming and intimate space with touches of South of France and Morocco. A vintage velvet sofa from Paris invites waiting customers to sit and take in the vaulted ceiling and walls finished in basil green plaster rendering before they are led to their seats.
As customers step into the main space, they will immediately see the island bar, their arrival heightened by the overhanging illuminated brass shelves filled with rows of premium spirits and liqueurs and indoor plants cascading from different levels.
Fluted solid ash wood strips line the fascia of the bar counter, a detail taken from Merci Marcel Tiong Bahru, the group’s first bar in Singapore.Like all other Merci Marcel locations, palm trees, fronds and various types of indoor plants frame the space, softening the mix of rough plaster rendered walls and exposed painted brick walls. The palm theme is seen in the large wall mural painted by French artist Tiphaine Sartini, complementing the quirky art pieces and soft furnishings sourced by the client, Marie-Charlotte.
Customers will also quickly notice what the client joyfully calls the Rosé Wall near the entrance window. This feature wall of shelves is wrapped in strips made from rattan, a distinctive feature in Merci Marcel outlets. At the client’s request, each shelf has been lined with low-voltage flame bulbs that will cast a soft, gentle glow to bottles of French Rosé on display.
The Style
The style is a contemporary interpretation of “France In The Tropics” with an eclectic mix of mid-century modern and vintage furniture pieces from Europe juxtaposed with 1950s Singapore design and the use of rattan, which was common in warmer climes.
Ceiling
The ceilings of the alcove and patio comprise of woven rattan ceiling panels, which were specially made in Indonesia by BYO Living. Perforated acoustic panels have been used elsewhere.
Floor
For a South of France feel, the hexagon terracotta tiles arranged in honeycomb style are from Italy and supplied by Rubik Material Laboratory.
Decorative Lighting
The hanging lamps are Parasol fringe lamps by Honoré Déco, purchased in Paris. Seletti Monkey lamps have been placed around the café to inject a sense of fun, cheekiness and whimsy.
Furniture
The space hosts an eclectic mix of mid-century modern and vintage pieces, including vintage Danish dining chairs and Saarinen tulip tables and chairs, which were all purchased in Paris. To inject a tropical vibe, rattan-framed sofas reminiscent of 1950s Singapore have been placed around the cafe. Customers will sit on Cesca stools or banquettes that are backless but adorned with cushions from Paris. Like other Merci Marcel venues, the bar will feature Sika bar stools.
Team:
Interior Designer: Hui Designs
Photographer: Tawan Conchonnet
