Charlotte Biltgen: Clover

In St-Germain-des-Prés Charlotte Biltgen designed for the chef Jean-François Piège the intimate restaurant Clover.

The restaurant is the epitome of simple cooking: 50 sqm encompassing 20 covers, as well as a piano for the chef and his assistants. Preparation and tasting takes place seamlessly, directly with the product and the chef’s team. It is, in the most literal sense, a dining room.

The name, Clover, stands for good luck and happiness: Charlotte Biltgen, Jean-François Piège and his wife initially tried their hand at finding objects by chance at the Puces de St Ouen and bric-a-brac shops in Brussels. A series of spherical Radiohuset wall lamps (1931) by the Danish architect Vilhem Lauritzen, some of the colourful crockery or the bistro table legs have therefore experienced a decorative history before becoming acquainted with Clover. Likewise for the parquet, taken from SNCF freight wagons before being reconditioned.

Cracked after firing, raku covers the walls with a layer of parchment-like and enticing ceramic like a crust of bread. This Japanese terracotta initially intended for crockery and home accessories has found new character as a tile well shaped by heat. The cracks achieved through heating are the motif. A random and marvellous motif that Charlotte Biltgen devised (laid out) in her studio over four days so that the tiles complement each other. 

Clover, St-Germain-des-Prés, Paris
Program: restaurant
Architect: Charlotte Biltgen
Client: Jean-François Piège
Area: 50 sqm
Completion: 2014