André’s Confiserie Suisse is a third generation owned and operated company producing only the highest quality confections in the Swiss tradition. Working directly with father/son owners Marcel and René Bollier, we understood quickly that there is only one way to do things, and that is the right way and the Swiss way. The aesthetic of the existing space was very much in the old world, Swiss tradition. They have very loyal customers but with the expansion of the restaurant to include a cafe and wine bar, René wanted to also appeal to the next generation, his generation.
Through a deeper research and understanding of their business and brand, we felt that it was extremely important to strongly emphasize their roots through modern, Swiss heritage. Influences were drawn from Swiss design icons like Le Corbusier, Herzog & DeMuron and Peter Zumthor. The space is refined, classic and clean – and only utilizes furniture and lighting that is either designed, manufactured or owned by a Swiss company. Design elements like the light wood and the softly curved ceiling unify the space. The fluid white counters and cases hold the chocolate as a piece of art and the only color introduced is André’s signature red to reinforce their brand through the architecture of the space.
In collaboration with A. Zahner, a new exterior entry was created. It is a 1/2” aluminum plate that is water jet cut by Zahner in an abstraction of drizzled chocolate created by René Bollier. KEM STUDIO digitized the drizzle, scaled and wrapped it on aluminum tubes next to an existing brick archway to create an authentic sunscreen that has a personal, meaningful story.
