The must-see India Mahdavi Restaurant projects

India Mahdavi’s name is a reflection of the designer herself: exotic, feminine, dramatic. It’s a name that evokes a chic, global sensibility and one that completely captures the essence of her designs. Each of her restaurant projects, hotel, private residence or a piece of furniture, carries in it elements that are modern yet familiar, as you can see in this Design Contract article.

The Parisian restaurant Germain was designed by India Mahdavi and its centerpiece is the oversized, faceted, yellow, and highheeled sculpture Sophie by Xavier Veilhan. Sophie lives in two spaces — the first level retro diner public restaurant and the second, a private VIP club.

The Connaught Hotel is the ultimate Grande Dame: historic, elegant, grand. A recent revamp has not impacted on this, but enhanced its appeal. The bar is a case in point. The Coburg Bar is everything you want it to be, sophisticated, atmospheric, with a visually striking yet welcoming room (redesigned by the Parisian India Mahdavi) peppered with leather chairs.

At the Hôtel Thoumieux, chef Jean-François Piège’s food is paired with an exceptional wine list and designer India Mahdavi’s whimsical decor. With its fluffy armchairs and animal print pillows, the ten-seat jewel box of a restaurant (which is upstairs from the hotel’s brasserie) feels more reminiscent of a sitting room Grace Kelly might have curated than a Michelin-starred kitchen. The wine list follows Piège’s serious, complex menu with impressive verticals from many of France’s most revered domaines, from Roulot and Leroy to Roumier and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

Right in the heart of French capital, there’s a special place waiting to be discovered by luxury and design lovers. We’re talking about Café Français, a once-traditional brasserie on the Place de la Bastille designed by India Mahdavi, one of the best Paris-based interior designers. This is a project totally inspired by neo-seventies style.

India Mahdavi, who has created a backdrop for David Shrigley’s artwork, conceived a soothing, monochromatic, strikingly comprehensive interior. The classic, almost bourgeois design invites a deliberately playful contrast with the witty, outré art works; all is most certainly not what it seems. While matching sketch’s delight in the avant-garde, this harmonious disorder breaks with The Gallery’s usual eclecticism.

Paris-Charles de Gaulle has a restaurant created by Guy Martin, the Michelin star-winning chef of the Grand Véfour. I Love Paris, created by the architect and designer India Mahdavi, is a restaurant space based on three offerings: top-of-the-range sandwiches, a champagne bar and a 70-seat restaurant.