A slice of France

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The Pascal Tepper bakery in Dubai Media City (DMC) is the brand’s first outside of France. The interior design reflects the brand personality and appeals to those who work in DMC, said Maria Vafiadis, lead designer, MKV design.

The goal of the design team was to create an interpretation of the boulangerie that was relevant to the area and the people who work there, while using the brand colours of Pascal Tepper: fuschia and green.

“Chef Pascal played a central role in cooking up the interior design. He very much wanted us to consider the look and feel of a contemporary kitchen, while giving ample sight to the actual preparation and baking, so that the dining experience is interactive,” said Vafiadis.

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She said the focal point of the bakery is the open kitchen. “It’s all about transparency that brings the kitchen into the space outside,” she added. Siegfried Nierhaus, managing director, Atlas Hospitality, agreed:
“When we designed it, we decided to put the oven in the restaurant so customers can almost taste the flavour of the bakery.”

“I think the biggest challenge was to try and bring that warm and comfy feeling within modern and clean lines,” said Vafiadis.

The bakery is spacious and mixes clean lines with decorative finishes, vibrant tones with stainless steel and traditional materials with contemporary furniture and fittings.

The walnut timber floor, timber shelving and the use of glass tiles contrasts with Tom Dixon pipe pendant lights and white moulded cafe seating.

In addition to colours, space planning was of high importance to Vafiadis and her team. “We were conscious of the need to accommodate the requirements of different groups of people - shoppers coming in for take-away, those wanting to sit briefly and people wanting to linger.

So we zoned spaces visually, using lighting, furniture heights and soft/hard finishes to identify each area. Although the zones are well defined they also work very well together,” she said.

The four dining areas can seat at least 60 guests at a time. The zones include a library lounge, a high-table standing room, a private area opposite the coffee bar and an outdoor dining area.

The bakery’s interior design evolves constantly. Nierhaus said in one week he saw three people using the high-tables and over 100 waiting for a seating area. Now one row out of two in the high-tables area has been removed.

“Our motto is to give the customers what they want. We need a lot of tables for four and six people, and we might even put in a table for eight and 10 somewhere because we know people are asking for it. We adapt to the situation,” he said.

Materials used were sourced both locally and abroad. The walnut-coloured flooring and black and white marble table tops are from Sharjah and the main pieces of furniture were made in Dubai.

When it came to equipment, the ovens and coffee machines are from Italy and France and Tom Dixon lights were imported from the UK. “We like to mix things from local suppliers with unique pieces that come from abroad,” Vafiadis said.

The 400 square metre bakery is the first to open this year. One more outlet will be opened in Dubai and another in Abu Dhabi.

“In Europe, you have a standard. But in the Middle East you raise the bar. Pascal Tepper’s concept is about food, decoration and people,” said Nierhaus.

“We tried to marry the feel of a traditional French bakery with a more modern outlook and I think we succeeded,” said Vafiadis.