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Concept projectFine Dining Restaurant · Haute GastronomiePlace Vendôme, Paris

Maison Étoile

An editorial nocturnal digital experience for a Parisian haute-gastronomie maison, translating candlelit limestone vaults, copper-reduced sauces, and a 14,000-bottle cellar into a tactile web folio.

Open live concept
Candlelit haute-cuisine plating at Maison Étoile on Place Vendôme, Paris

01Overview

Maison Étoile is a fictional 28-seat fine-dining restaurant set within a 1742 hôtel particulier on Place Vendôme in Paris. Led by Executive Chef Julien Vasseur and Head Sommelier Henri Delacroix, the house serves a seven-course seasonal tasting menu celebrating day-boat Brittany seafood, Loire Valley game, and historic French viticulture.

02The challenge

Many fine-dining websites either bury essential guest information behind unnavigable splash screens and slow PDF menus, or reduce a three-hour gastronomic liturgy to a generic booking template. International patrons researching a €290+ tasting menu expect to inspect the current seasonal courses, wine pairings, dress code, and private salons effortlessly on both desktop and mobile before requesting a table.

03The strategy

Design the website as a tactile nocturnal publication. We paired a dark espresso and champagne-gold architectural frame with an inset warm-ivory cotton-paper menu folio, allowing guests to read the seven-course tasting menu, seasonal carte, and cellar book like a luxury print monograph, then transition directly into a structured reservation concierge.

04The solution

  1. 01Parisian double-rule centered masthead with Roman numeral chapter navigation and full-viewport photographic fold framing Place Vendôme coordinates.
  2. 02Split-studio culinary philosophy narrative with a live provenance table detailing Finistère day-boat arrivals, Périgord truffles, and 40-month Fort Saint-Antoine Comté.
  3. 03Interactive signature creations stage where patrons inspect three defining seasonal plates with technique notes and Grand Cru sommelier pairings.
  4. 04Executive Chef Julien Vasseur portrait and three foundational culinary pillars (Micro-Seasonality, Pure Extractions, Single-Turn Tables).
  5. 05Warm-ivory magazine-style Menu Folio with instant switching between the 7-Course Tasting Menu (290€), Seasonal Carte, and Grand Cru Cellar Book.
  6. 06Four-salon architectural showcase (La Grande Salle Vendôme, La Table du Passe, La Voûte des Millésimes, Le Salon d’Orfèvre) and an interactive Reservation Concierge with party size, service, salon, and dietary dossier generation.
La Grande Salle Vendôme beneath 18th-century Parisian limestone vaults
Line-caught Brittany wild turbot with Krug Champagne sabayon and Royal Oscietra caviar
La Voûte des Millésimes subterranean limestone wine cellar housing 14,000 bottles

05Design decisions

Nocturnal Espresso & Warm Cotton-Ivory Contrast

Rather than keeping the entire site dark, the menu section shifts to Warm Ivory (#F5F0E8) bordered in Champagne Gold (#B99A69), evoking the physical sensation of opening a heavy cotton-rag menu at a candlelit table.

Upright Instrument Serif & Plus Jakarta Typography

Headings use upright Instrument Serif paired with tracked Geist Mono chapter numerals and Plus Jakarta Sans body copy, creating magazine-grade hierarchy without decorative clutter.

Magazine Menu Folio Instead of PDF Downloads

Every course, provenance region, and sommelier pairing is rendered as responsive semantic HTML with zero layout shift and instant tab switching on mobile screens.

Transparent Reservation Dossier Workflow

The reservation concierge captures seating time, preferred salon, tasting menu selection, and allergy notes in a single structured flow, clearly indicating where live SevenRooms or ZenChef integration connects.

06Expected impact

Proposed solution designed to elevate brand perception for international gastronomic travelers, eliminate friction when inspecting seasonal tasting menus and wine pairings on mobile, and increase qualified reservation and private-salon enquiries.

What we would measure after launch

  • Tasting menu folio & wine cellar tab engagement depthTo track after a real launch
  • Completed reservation & private salon (Salon d’Orfèvre) requestsTo track after a real launch
  • Grand Cru sommelier pairing pre-selections during bookingTo track after a real launch
  • Mobile navigation & menu readability across 320px to 414px viewportsTo track after a real launch

Next project

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