After a spectacular legal spat that led to the eviction of its former chef, the acclaimed Le Jules Verne in Paris has reopened on a new footing, complete with a new superchef and look in 2019. This coincided with the Eiffel’s Tower 130th anniversary, and its interiors pay homage to the iconic monument it calls home.
Taking inspiration from the Eiffel’s moniker, “the Iron Lady”, Lebanese architect Aline Asmar d’Amman presents a silver-gray, black, gold and white palette with a feminine twist paralleling the raw industrial tones of the Eiffel’s wrought-iron lattice structure.
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After riding 125m by elevator to the restaurant from its private entrance, guests first enter the le Quai Branly room. Featuring sculpted panelled walls by French-Swedish artist Ingrid Donat and a hand-painted ceiling, its dramatically dark and narrow entrance incites anticipation of the light-filled dining area ahead.
References to the Eiffel Tower’s architecture are also woven into Le Jules Verne’s aesthetic, with bespoke designs by d’Amman and a team of French craftsmen. The founder of design studio Culture in Architecture, d’Amman says, “My goal was to introduce elegance and attitude in the restaurant through contemporary decorative arts and the broad talent of French artists.”
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The circular overhead lighting fixtures in the dining spaces mimic the mechanical wheels spinning in the tower. And the silver velvet banquettes as well as two chair designs – the curved-back cane Lace chair and the Iron Lady, an elegant seat with arched legs and intricate sculpted details inspired by influential, 20th-century French jewellery designer Paris Suzanne Belperron’s 1930s fine jewellery – are a classy complement to the French oak tabletops with mother-of-pearl.
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The luxurious, pared-back interiors paired with the panoramic views of Paris and the amazing food are bound to make the entire gastronomic experience here out of this world.
Jules Verne is located on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower at Avenue Gustave Eiffel, 75007 Paris, France.
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Photos by Stephan Julliard. This article was first published in Home and Decor in October 2019.