Mille–Feuille Bakery Cafe, New York NY

(collaborator: Agence Jouin–Manku)

This compact Greenwich Village patisserie is dominated by a 25 foot long by 4 foot wide terrazzo table which runs from front to back. The cash register and seating is at one end, and the main work surface is at the other. It is illuminated by an equally long custom light fixture, shrouded in copper.

The owner—a transplanted Parisian—makes all the goods by hand, each day on site. By spatially organizing all activities in the open, around the table—his goal is to foster a communal experience between the producer and consumer.

The sleek forms of the architectural elements reflect an updating of the traditional bakery; the natural, untreated materials speak of a commitment to organic ingredients and methods.