Madeleine Mon Amour or involuntary memory, Egue y Seta

Daniel Pérez and Felipe Araujo from Catalan-based multidisciplinary design firm, Egue y Seta have designed the project for a venue in Barcelona called “Madeleine, Mon Amour”. The two designers have put their creative flair to work and have come up with a space that plays with references and memories.


There are certain names, certain sweets, certain flavours that bring pictures to our minds. Madeleines, the traditional French, shell-like “short, puffy” cakes introduce the concept of involuntary memory in Marcel Proust's famous novel À la Recherche du Temps Perdu (In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past). 



Although this is not specifically referenced by Egue y Seta in the venue on the Rambla Poble Nou, Barcelona that they have refurbished and branded, we can find lots of allusions and visual games that take our memory elsewhere, in an ongoing stimulus to lose ourselves in our memories - real or imaginary as they may be.





Madeleine Mon Amour offers homemade sweets for morning and afternoon tea, but also to enjoy with champagne cocktails in the evening. Daniel Pérez and Felipe Araujo have designed a space that has definitely drawn a great deal from French culture, including the name, the Paris skyline sketched on the walls, the black iron of the window, the Chesterfield padded furniture but what really makes stands out is its contemporary and streamlined feel.





The way the materials have been mixed and matched inside play a very important part. Concrete with leather, wood, copper and all of these with curtain fabrics or soft furnishings, all set off by a clever lighting design to create bright but soft, welcoming light both on the ground floor and on the mezzanine level.
Egue y Sete don't give into the temptation of a sickly sweet atmosphere - all pinks and frills - like you might expect from a place like this. 



Once again, the Catalan firm confirms its incredible capacity to find a fresh overarching theme for the design, which also encompasses the Madeleine Mon Amour branding, from the menu to the porcelain and even the takeout bags and boxes. And if you dunk these delights into your tea, make sure you've got a copy of Proust's novel nearby, because it might just give you the final push you need to read this 20th century literature masterpiece...

Christiane Bürklein

Egue y Seta www.egueyseta.com
Daniel Pérez + Felipe Araujo 
Video: https://youtu.be/kIaYwDGUczI
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Year: 2015
Photographer: VICUGO FOTO www.vicugo.com