Liberté

Authors’ Comment

Liberté sells "tartes, café, champagne".

The recipe consists of a variety of French flavored ingredients: the floral pattern "carreaux a ciment" recall the ubiquitous floor finish of the French cafés and the bar is a close relative of the "bar a zinc" used, obviously, for "prendre un verre sur le zinc". The "bleue" is Provence specific and a reclaimed grand French door allows for a theatrical access of the "Chef" from the glass laboratory. Brâncuși lived in Paris, thus a replica of Brâncuși "Table of Silence" sculpture fits better than the long communal table usually found in such establishments, not to mention that a round table is a good reminder to the clients of Liberté about "égalité" and "fraternité".

Since coffee itself is not quite memorable for France, we built a little house dedicated to baristas to make it a state within a state, maybe the outpost of an exotic faraway land where coffee brewing reaches perfection, Japan perhaps. The round windows above the back counter allow a view to and from the office, as curious eyes adding to a humorous anthropomorphic impression with the intention to be attractive to the children audience as well, same as the Alvar Aalto kindergarten chairs.