PHOTOS THIS PAGE: ©DEREK HUDSON
Cafe Germain ✱ Paris, France Client: Thierry Costes Unashamedly fun, this Paris cafe features the giant yellow resin ‘Sophie’ sculpture by artist Xavier Veilhan which ‘breaks through’ the ceiling of the ground floor to the first floor, dominating both spaces. Here Mahdavi set out to subvert the traditional Paris bistro, playing with proportions, scale and pattern. The ground floor features a black and white checked floor, grey walls and pops of yellow, blue and red in the form of banquette seating. The first floor features bright blue walls, cowprint chairs and a purple pool table.
Xavier Veilhan's Sophie sculpture takes centre stage at this Parisien cafe
Mahdavi laughs. “It’s true,” she says. “But it had to be right. That pink at Sketch; it’s perfect. It’s a happy colour. Everyone looks beautiful; like they have a three day tan.”
WHAT MAKES HER TICK Like most designers and architects, Mahdavi is highly sensitive to her surroundings. When we meet, she arrived in Amsterdam the previous day, and was horrified to find that she was meant to be staying in a Novotel hotel. “They booked me into this horrible place,” she says, visibly shuddering. “Corporate hotels freak me out. If you are slightly depressed, staying somewhere like that is just terrible. I left the Novotel and booked myself into the Pulitzer Hotel, which saved my life. It feels like home.” Mahdavi is so fearless with colour, I wonder if there are any she shies away from using. “I don't want to discriminate against any colour,” she says. “I think they can all bring something - in a certain context of a certain material and upon a certain texture.” There are some colour combinations she’s not a fan of though. “I wouldn’t necessarily put a Christmas green with a Christmas red,” she says. “And I don’t like black and yellow. I don’t think it works. I like colours when they get close to each other or they are very contrasting, but some colour combinations are difficult for me.” Looking ahead, Mahdavi has several residential projects on the go, as well as a personal project that’s close to her heart. She lives in Paris, in a rented apartment, but recently bought a house in the South of France.
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“I’ve never owned my own house before,” she says. “It's hard for me to say I’m not a nomad anymore. This is one of my most important projects; I’m so excited about it.” She is also working on a Miami restaurant in Bal Harbour for Starr Restaurants. Mahdavi has worked with US restaurateur Stephen Starr before, when she created a sleek Philadelphia steakhouse for the brand. And her dream future commission? “I’d like to work on something to do with transportation,” she says. “I’ve already worked on planes [creating interiors for NetJets]. Doing a train would be exciting for me. I’d like to do more public spaces too, and more projects with small budgets.” One thing’s for sure, whatever Mahdavi works on will use colour in a way that’s bold, surprising, and that puts a smile on people’s faces. ●
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