Getting The Je Ne Sais Quoi Look
The style is classic french, but the theme is very definitely romantic ireland at this old favourite dublin haunt.
By Claire O'Mahony
Café des Irlandais blends traditional French bistro decor with a very Irish theme
Glass stem dish, €24, Urban Outfitters
Toile trellis wallpaper, €92 per roll Farrow & Ball
'Blue laurel' cake stand, €29, House of Fraser
Chandelier, €109, Debenhams
If the walls of 12-13 South Great George's Street in Dublin 2 could talk, they'd no doubt have some remarkable tales to tell. For 116 years, since Bewley's first Oriental Café opened here in 1894, it has been a favourite haunt of Dubliners and visitors alike in search of a cup of tea and sticky bun. Until recently, the building was home to Café Bar Deli and now, under new investors, it has been reincarnated as Café des Irlandais, serving up classic French bistro fare such as onion soup, 'le steak' and crème brûlée.
At first glance, the décor is as traditional as the menu with its bentwood chairs, black-and-white tiling and toile wallpaper. But closer inspection reveals a strong Irish theme – the wallpaper is illustrated with notable Irish icons such as Michael Collins, Lady Lavery and Mannix Flynn, while, in place of buttons, Irish and European coins are stuck to the banquettes.
Wendy Doyle, the interior designer behind the concept, said the idea came after a brainstorming session in July when she and the investors contemplated the state of the country. "We looked back to when the state was being set up and what was a romantic period, both artistically and politically, from the great writers and artists to political figures," she explained.
"It was a time when a lot of people really did care about the general good and had idealistic notions about where they wanted Ireland to go. I'm not sure it happened that way so it's a sort of question mark as to what might have happened. And not to say that their ideas were good or bad but that they were thinking of the greater good and that they were individuals working towards that rather than for themselves or for the good of a business or personal gain. It was also a time when Irish people were influenced by French ideology and that's the French connection."
And the coins stuck on the sofa? "That's a play on the word 'buttons' – money means nothing – where did all that money go? It's a frivolous use of it," she said. Doyle, who lectures in interior design at Dublin's Griffith College, as well as doing freelance work, said there was no major overhaul of the premises, which boasts a beautiful Harry Clarke stained-glass window, and that it was essentially a superficial refit. "It's a beautiful building that stands on own for what it is. I think it would have been a mistake to make huge changes to it," she said.
The linchpin of the whole concept is the wallpaper and Doyle worked with a graphic designer to come up with a French style but using Irish imagery. Referencing famous French establishments like Bofingers, the oldest brasserie in Paris, Doyle said that attention to detail and slightly quirkier elements were all part of the French aesthetic. "They really put a lot of effort into their final touches and their window display," she said, and so too at Café des Irlandais, where a pot of artisan jam is displayed in a glass dome, pastries are enticingly lined up in the window and the table linen is affixed with a wooden clothes peg.
Ornate frames hanging above the toilets are painted black, showcasing swatches of the wallpaper. On the tables, small glass vases contain sprigs of lavender and rosemary, plants which are used in cooking and thus relate the interior's visuals to the main event – what's happening in the kitchen.
The French bistro look is certainly a timeless one and, as to anyone trying to emulate it at home, Doyle had this advice: "They should take their time and go to Paris for the weekend – the nice way! I would recommend just going and having a look around. There's a huge amount to choose from and pick something you like rather than going to some store and saying 'I'll put red and green together'. Just make sure that you do something that you like. But this is a classic look."
Café des Irlandais. 12-13 South Great George's Street, Dublin 2, Tel: 01 677 1584
November 14, 2010
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