Jaeger-LeCoultre has announced the inauguration of 1931 Café, an interesting new venue created to coincide with 90 years of the Reverso, a watch considered to be an icon of Art Deco design.
Opening from June 13 until August 15, the 1931 Café will be located at K11, the art and fashion hub in the centre of Shanghai. In the autumn, as 1931 Café, it will be recreated in a new location in the heart of Paris.
The 1931 Café “will evoke the elegant interior of a 1930s ocean liner and the glamour of a film set.”
The design features a black-and-white palette combined with warm and flattering light. Several signature Art Deco elements have been incorporated in the design – chrome, velvet, glass and lacquered wood – and features a marble floor with an inlaid geometric pattern typical of the era.
Chef Nina Métayer has created a special collection of cakes and pastries for the venture. In addition to highlighting the Art Deco aesthetic of the interior design, the menu takes guests on a journey to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux by using flavours such as mountain berries, nuts, honey and Swiss chocolate.
A few 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.”
Chef Nina Métayer said, “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.”
