kotaro horiuchi architecture: salon du fromage

‘salon du fromage’ by kotaro horiuchi architecture images courtesy of kotaro horiuchi architecture

international architects, kotaro horiuchi has completed ‘salon du fromage’, a small cheese boutique and restaurant located in paris’ first androssiment. the unconventional shop lacks components traditionally seen in delicatessens, implementing instead an environment that encourages discovery and engagement.

entrance

the narrow two-storey structure, originally built in the 18th century, is wrapped in a soft curvaceous wall that divides the space into a series of intimate, cave-like rooms.

refrigerated display units

a shop, located on the ground floor is filled with cylindrical pedestals varying in height and diameter, acting as display refrigerators for some 350 varieties of cheese. custom lamps, resembling cubes of cheese, hang from the ceiling, bouncing particles of light around monochromatic space, dramatically changing the atmosphere with its milky-white glow.

custom pendant lights

a rippling stairway leads visitors upstairs to a ripening room and modular open kitchen where customers can take part in wine tastings, classes and cheese seminars. a small restaurant – serving variations of fondue and raclette – is furnished with dining tables and chairs that were designed specifically for the space.

stairway

secondary functions, including a preparation kitchen and storage space, is located in the back of the shop.

show kitchen where wine tastings and classes take place

see designboom’s previous article on the project, when it was conceptualized in 2008 here.

custom tables feature small holes that can hold wine glasses

patterns from the cheese-like lights cover the ceiling and walls of the small shop

front facade