MODERN RELIGION ABBAYE DE FONTEVRAUD BY JOUIN MANKU
Our curiosity piqued, we decided to introduce you to one of their commercial projects in a rather extraordinary space. In 2014, Jouin Manku designed a restaurant and a bar in Fontevraud Abbey in the Pays de la Loire region of France. Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku reworked the original cloister design to lend it more grandeur, installing a series of vast, individual glass wall sections. Part of the original structure is still used as a courtyard, while the other has been transformed into a restaurant. The layout of the tables is such that guests can admire the view of the interior courtyard while enjoying a meal. As for the interior design itself, the restaurant boasts a contemporary style and can welcome up to 88 covers. Most of the furniture was created to measure to harmonise with the configuration of the Abbeyâs walls. The colours blend perfectly with the spaceâs architecture, interplaying light and dark tones such as grey, beige and white. Imposing wooden lighting fixtures hang above the tables, and their impressive geometric shapes help reduce background noise. The tableware was also designed from scratch by Jouin Manku. The next stage was to create a digital media-library with a bar in the chapel. Jouin Manku designed a long, one-piece bar top in solid wood to recreate the image of an altar and retain the spaceâs religious symbolism. They also covered the walls with large, black screens to inspire an intimate, cosy ambiance, and installed bench-style seating. The restaurant and the bar Fontevraud Abbey are the conclusion of a truly enchanting project, and the contemporary design from Jouin Manku harmonises perfectly with this religious space.
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Combining design and architecture to form a whole was the challenge accepted by French designer Patrick Jouin and Kenyan architect Sanjit Manku when they founded Jouin Manku. This firm unites their know-how and experience, and puts their skillsets to use in interior design and architecture projects backed by a team of 20 people. The companyâs objective is to make every creation unique in every stage of the process, from the overall concept to the design of the light switches.
MODERN RELIGION
TE X T : M A NDA N A SA PPINO | PHOTOGR A PH Y : NICOL A S M ATHEUS