Liberté: A Bakery with a New Aesthetic

We’re currently admiring the rough industrial chic of Liberté, La Pí¢tisserie Boulangerie in Canal St. Martin, a vibrant neighborhood in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Opened by Benoit Castel, the former pastry chef of La Grande í‰picierie as well as the Joséphine Bakery, the bakery lets customers view the inner workings of a pastry lab.

Photographs by Mimi Giboin. 

Above: Rather than clean up the raw space, Castel makes a feature of its unfinished walls and ceilings with peeling paint. A long, polished marble counter provides an anchor and a contrast in the open, loftlike space.

Above: Loaves of bread are displayed and stored in vintage bread racks.

Above: Industrial fluorescent pendants complement the unfinished backdrop walls.

Above: Fluorescent tube lighting against a ceiling with peeling paint–an inexpensive detail that has the look of an art installation.

Above: Simple open shelving provides storage and a work surface.

Above: The sculptural marble bakery counter follows the plan of the space, which is situated on a corner site.

Above: With fully operable floor-to-ceiling glazed doors, the entire shop opens to the street.

Above: Where extant, the existing ceiling tiles were allowed to remain.

Above: In full view of the customers, bread and pastry artisans work on their edible craft.

Above: On a warm summer day with the doors fully open to the street, a new form of Parisian cafe culture emerges.

Above: A shot of red in the stool seating adds an accent. 

Above: Old cafe culture meets new cafe culture. 

Above L: Simple signage hints at what goes on inside. Above R: Daily specials on chalkboards can be read from the street.

Above: Liberté, La Pí¢tisserie Boulangerie wraps the corner at the base of a traditional 19th-century Parisian building.

The map below shows the location of Liberté, on 39 Rue des Vinaigriers, Paris.

If you like the tile floor patterns at Liberté, see Trend Alert: Patterned Tiled Bathroom Floors, Black and White Edition. When your tour of Paris is over, cross the channel and visit London’s Nordic Bakery. And on Gardenista, here are 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from France.