Jaeger-LeCoultre will be welcoming guests to 1931 Café – an elegant and convivial new venue created to coincide with 90 years of the Reverso, a watch that is considered an icon of Art Deco design.
Offering guests the chance to immerse themselves fully in the style and ambience of the period when the Reverso was born, the pop-up café will open in Shanghai on the 13th June, and this autumn in Paris – the birthplace of the Art Deco movement.
As a quintessential expression of Art Deco style, 1931 Café will evoke the elegant interior of a 1930s ocean liner and the glamour of a film set. Using a black-and-white palette and infused with a warm and flattering light, the design incorporates signature Art Deco materials – chrome, velvet, glass and lacquered wood – and features a marble floor with an inlaid geometric pattern typical of the era. Every detail has been custom-designed, from the frosted-glass chandelier dominating the centre of the room, to the chairs featuring three metal bands that echo the three gadroons on a Reverso case.
Completing the design, a special collection of cakes and pastries has been created by Nina Métayer. Twice named Pastry Chef of the Year, the young Paris-based chef is celebrated for her originality, artistry and exceptional flavours. For 1931 Café, Chef Métayer has designed these sweet treats not only to echo the Art Deco aesthetic of the interior design but also to take guests on a journey to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux. By using flavours from the Valley, such as mountain berries, nuts and honey – and, of course, Swiss chocolate – she is inviting guests to experience the world through different flavours, as well as to enjoy pastry that has been elevated to a finely handcrafted art form. Among the pieces created exclusively for 1931 Café are a delightful surprise that alludes to the snowy landscape of the Jura in winter while hiding a burst of summer fruit in its centre, and an elegant, rectangular confection of hazelnuts and chocolate that pays direct tribute to Art Deco style.
Nina Métayer says: “What appealed to me greatly about this collaboration with Jaeger-LeCoultre was the idea of bringing together two very different expressions of craftsmanship in one project. The pastry chef and the watchmaker share the same deep values, and our gestures are driven by the same desire: not to create for ourselves but to excel for the pleasure of the recipient.”
