In his ground-breaking new interiour design for Paris’ Flood Restaurants, visionary designer Mathieu Lehanneur has taken the integration of ecology and experiential design to new heights.
Sleek round aquariums sit throughout the space, each filled with 100-litres of Spirulina Plantesis. The micro algae creates oxygen through photosynthesis, aided by the large bright windows nearby. Besides their eye-popping futuristic vibe and awesome visual quality – the aquariums seem to almost glow with an organic phosphoresence – the pure, fresh oxygen they release into the air adds to a full-sensory, holistic experience. The design goes beyond what you can touch and see to improving the environment of the very atmosphere inside the space. You may not be able to consciously sense it, but undoubtedly your body will know.
I love the pure, retro-minimalist feel of the entire design. Besides the algae aquariums, Lehanneur dip-coated all the chairs and tables in PVC to give them an ultra-smooth, wet touch to the skin. The lighting takes the oxygenated concept even further – each fixture has an atmospheric, almost molecular look to it. As if each one is about to burst with air or float away.
Via Snell at Lost At E Minor.
shape+colour 
I was wondering – instead of coating the chairs with PVC (and yes, offgas) to complement the minimalistic-clean feel, why don’t the designer incorporate a ‘green’ concept instead? Chairs, walls and lampshades made of recycled wood/biodegradable stuff, perhaps with a little bit of greenery (real plants, please)?
Experimental creativity is one thing, definitely. But if it beats the original purpose…
f*** it – it looks great, warrants discussion, feels new and puts into geaer new thought processes towards the way we think about spaces and the environments we inhabit.
if one says it doesn’t feel ‘restaurant’ in my mind it has succeeded, experiential creativity rocks.
dipping the furniture is fine for the wet-look, but the high-traction of PVC is going to see a lot of irate customers who wind up with their skirts in the air or their trousers wedged fantastically up their ass when they attempt to slide off
Like the design, but not sure if it matches a “restaurant”….
quote:
“see to improving the environment of the very atmosphere inside the space”
just the inside sapce…
isnt that abit shallow?
did they calculate the VOC offset by the pvc? or did they coat them wif sth else
pvc offgas for sure. also algae releases alot more than just o2, although i do sort of like the concept
pvc offgas vs algae, who will win?