PNY Burger Bretonnerie, Paris by Bernard Dubois.

Launched in 2012, the PNY burger chain opens its burger restaurant in Paris in the heart of Marais. Conceived by Belgian architect Bernard Dubois (see Dubois’ previous interior for PNY here), this exceptional all-timber burger joint plunges customers into a so-cool-it-hurts retro vibe.

This 50 square meter eatery punches well above its compact size. The expressive, visually arresting interior displays an obsessive commitment to detail, with ceiling heights acting as the main organisational device.

Known for blurring the lines between various stylistic genres, Dubois drew on diverse references for the restaurant’s design. The arch shapes reference a recurring motif from the Louvain-La-Neuve Library of Sciences in Belgium – a brutalist André Jacqmain building much loved by the designer.

Related: PNY Burger Restaurant in Paris by Bernard Dubois.

The skeleton form manifests as a series of dark timber arches for the ceiling, upside-down stainless steel arches for the feet of the stools, glass for the door handle, light timber for the chairs, and plaster relief seen on the walls.

Much like Carlo Scarpa, each detail gave rise to another smaller detail, that lead to even smaller details that followed the same suit.

Rudy Guénair, the founder of PNY, is on a self-proclaimed mission to make the best burgers the French capital has ever seen. This is the chain’s eighth outpost on rue Saint-Croix de la Bretonnerie in the south of the trendy Marais.

[Images courtesy of PNY. Photography by Romain Laprade.]