CFOC

In a revival of the much admired CFOC (Compagnie Française de l’Orient et de la Chine), which merged the best of Asian craftsmanship with Parisian chic, the new owner—real-estate developer and art patron Laurent Dumas—has concentrated the business in one sleek, newly renovated, €1.5 million emporium in CFOC’s former HQ on the Boulevard Haussmann. Interior architects François Schmidt and Sarah Lavoine created a spacious, light-flooded, two-level 5,380-square-foot space whose natural woods and pale colors were inspired by a Japanese, rather than Chinese, aesthetic.

New, too, is the active participation of young French and Asian designers. Lavoine and Schmidt are behind the collections of tableware, household linens, lighting, outdoor furniture, stationery and jewelry using traditional celadon, lacquer, Vietnamese embroidery, wood and ceramic from Yangtze and porcelain from Jingdezhen. Chinese designer Li Naihan created a wardrobe-trunk closet; Gallic duo A+A Cooren designed a massive wood dining table; and Benoit Lienart’s black-lacquered Guo chair echoes strokes of calligraphy. East also meets West in CFOC’s Yoko restaurant—along with sushi, sashimi and Tuna Tataki with citrus fruit sauce, there are burgers and club sandwiches on Japanese bread.

170 blvd Haussmann, Paris 8th. www.cfoc.fr

Originally published in the November 2012 issue of France Today