French flavour

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Colour plays a fundamental role in the design of this restaurant in a seaside location, evoking both the sea and French culture.

Integrity was a key part of the design brief for La Fourchette Restaurant in St Heliers, Auckland.

The owners told Markham Architecture + Urban Design (MAUD) – the company commissioned to design the restaurant – that they did not want a pastiche of ideas about French food and culture. They preferred a more subtle approach with a design that would also recognise the significance of the seaside location.

MAUD subsequently specified Carrara marble counters that draw on customary French brasserie fit-outs, sandstone oak floors and whitewashed tabletops that pick up on the tones of the beach.

These are contrasted by a strong blue shade on the walls. Resene San Juan is the feature colour, with Resene Eighth Friar Grey above the picture rail to lower the apparent height of the wall and to make the space feel more intimate. This shade tones in with the exposed concrete ceilings and the blue, yet does not compete with either shade.

Contrasting timber panelling and trims are painted in the colour Resene Double Alabaster, which helps to keep the look crisp and modern. This shade was also painted over old brass fittings in the restaurant.

The design team says the colour palette works by day and by night, allowing La Fourchette to seamlessly transition from a daytime café to a nighttime restaurant.

All the broadwall areas were painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen, an Environmental Choice-approved waterborne enamel that provides a tough, durable finish.

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