mamiche

Five years after its opening, the first address of the very gourmet Mamiche bakery on rue Condorcet is getting a makeover.

The architects transformed the space while maintaining the spirit of the local bakery dear to Mamiche. They worked to reveal the qualities of the existing space, to transform it into a place of life anchored in its environment in order to offer a warm and familiar atmosphere.

The new version of the bakery plays up its activity. The new facade gives pride to wood craftsmanship and makes visible the spectacle of the bakers at work in the early hours of the morning from the street and inside the shop.

The façade has been reworked in harmony with the architecture of the 9th arrondissement, where basket-handle windows are legion: wooden joinery has been installed in the hollows of the building’s stonework, with beautiful chamfered and rounded details that lift the façade while flooding the interior with light. This craftsmanship serves as a backdrop to the shop’s architecture as a reminder of the work and know-how for which the place is renowned.

Inside, it is a clever mix of new and old: some emblematic elements of the old shop have been reused – old workbenches and a baguette basket. The envelope, on the other hand, has been lightened, the stone walls have been exposed and new wooden furniture has been carefully created to make the shop functional. Minted aluminium light fittings designed by the designer De Wit in the 1990s add a retro and stylish touch. A new composition of the space organises the routes according to a double circulation with orders possible from a counter open to the outside in order to allow a fluid reception and circulation of customers.

The architects have redesigned this space with a view to proposing a sustainable and responsible architecture and approach.

The counter of the shop is covered with a pattern of bricks made to measure by Gwilen’s engineers. These bricks are produced by recovering marine sediments, in other words the silt that clutters the seabed due to dredging operations. Gwilen has invented a process that allows them to solidify, without firing at high temperature, and transform them into bricks. Coloured with natural pigments, their terracotta hue combines with the honey tone of the wooden top above them.

The floor is made of mortex, an extremely resistant and breathable lime-based coating. It is an alternative to the polluting cement-based concrete. The mortex has a natural, slightly textured appearance in this line of natural and artisanal materials that highlight the work and gesture of the craftsman behind it. The other elements are made of wood and metal; on the wood side, oak in different shades, for its noble, durable and warm character, while stainless steel, a resistant material whose shiny appearance brings light to the place.

The mmnk studio set out to transform the Mamiche bakery by enhancing it through the use of noble and sustainable materials, while creating a joyful mix of rough and irregular surfaces and finely worked furniture to enliven this living space.