LA TOUR D'ARGENT

Undisputed institution of French gastronomy run by the Terrail family for three generations, the Tour d’Argent engaged Franklin Azzi for the renovation of its Michelin-starred restaurant and the refurbishment of the building that houses it. From the redesigned panoramic dining room, the creation of a bar, a terrace, and a suite with its own private dining room, right down to the design of the furniture, Franklin Azzi has designed the entire project. Working as architect, interior architect and designer, he has transformed the Tour d’Argent.

Like a shimmering beacon on the banks of the Seine, the Tour d’Argent shines again. From the shores of the Île Saint Louis, one can now look across the Seine to Quai de la Tournelle and admire the dining room’s glistening ceiling, lined with slats of polished anodized aluminum. Sunlight during the day and integrated lighting at night illuminate an array of metal tiles, sparkling in the light. Sculptural ceilings are a constant in Franklin Azzi’s work. Here it is a poetic gesture as much as a wink to the name, La Tour d’Argent, silver tower, owing its name to a tower in Philippe-Auguste’s 12th-century city walls, built in stone from Champagne flecked with mica, which glitters in the setting sun.

In keeping with the timelessness of this gastronomic institution, Franklin Azzi has revisited the conventions of classical architecture. The layout of the rooms echoes that of a grand townhouse: from the black-and-white-tiled floor of the entrance hall, follows a reception room in light oak paneling, succeeded by a salon arranged around a hearth. Each room responds to a function, moments in life. Franklin Azzi rhythms the spaces, building to a crescendo: from revisited classicism on the ground floor, to resolute modernity for the panoramic dining room. This rise in architectural intensity replies to the perfectly choreographed ballet of service, dynamic and fluid, that has always structured the show at the Tour d’Argent.
On the fifth floor is another new space, a suite like a Parisian apartment, with wall mouldings and herringbone parquet flooring, for special customers wishing to stay on site. It features a kitchen that opens onto the sitting–dining room, enabling chef Yannick Franques to prepare dishes on the spot for up to ten guests. With its sauna and Scandinavian-style furnishings, the suite reflects the Finnish heritage of André Terrail, the Tour d’Argent’s current owner.

While wanting to preserve certain heritage pieces, Franklin Azzi has also developed a number of new pieces of furniture. Taking his inspiration from the chairs with woven backrests used in the restaurant in the 1930s, he has designed a seat with a jute rope support made in the Pierre Frey furniture workshops. In the same desire of revisiting traditional objects, he designed a chandelier made of 277 extra-clear glass pendants hooked onto six chromed steel rings. Neon lighting and visible cabling give a modern industrial air to this light in the spirit of Art Deco design.

A project as much architectural as decorative, the renovation of the Tour d’Argent required closing the establishment for a year. A relatively short period given the scale of the works undertaken. No less than seventeen different trades were required on site: steel framer, facade engineer, lead roofer, carpentry workshop, and artist metalworker for the dining-room ceiling. As usual, Franklin Azzi prioritized French companies.

Artistic collaborations
Antoine Carbonne, large mural composition painted in situ, « Perle », depicting a fantasized Paris in the Middle Ages.
Maximilien Pellet, enameled ceramic works, portrait of the current owner’s grandmother which hangs in the suite, Le souvenir d’Augusta.
Margaux Lavêvre, restaurant’s carpet.
Julien Raout, lettering painter.