A suspended wooden shell made from CNC-cut panels, Café Caché combines material efficiency with the intimate atmosphere of traditional cafés.
About
Conceived and installed at Le Centquatre in Paris, Café Caché shows how digital fabrication applied to wood can go beyond pure construction logic to become a tool for creating atmospheres, where technical efficiency meets cultural memory.
The project takes the form of a wooden shell suspended from the ceiling and wall, enveloping the café like a warm backdrop. Made of CNC-cut panels connected through reinterpreted mortise-and-tenon joints and hinge-like assemblies, the structure transforms flat components into a self-supporting three-dimensional geometry. This configuration provides stability while generating acoustic and atmospheric qualities that shape the experience of the space.
A strong focus was placed on material optimization: façade panels were designed to minimize off-cuts, making full use of each board with precision. Beyond constructive efficiency, Café Caché carries a more intimate and cultural dimension. Its warm materiality and detailed craftsmanship reinterpret the atmosphere of Brussels cafés from my youth, here transposed into a contemporary context. In this way, technical rigor and personal memory converge to create a space that is both functional and evocative.
