Kura-ge

First outpost of the house KURA-GE, this coffee shop occupies a former retail space in the Marais. Its architecture stages a dialogue between Japanese craftsmanship and a Parisian sense of tectonics. Solid French oak, smoked with ammonia and shaped in Brittany, structures the space, from the counter and benches to hand-fitted joinery. Butterfly joints and exposed wooden pegs articulate a language of construction made visible. The earth-toned concrete floor (pink, brown) anchors the interior with a mineral density. Lighting, designed by Inès Aznar with Japanese paper, was crafted in London. Nothing is superfluous, each element contributes to the space’s quiet gravity.