The cafe that has us wanting to book a ticket to Paris looks, surprisingly, very little like Paris: Café Ineko, a laid-back tea house with cane furniture, spigots set charmingly into the wall, and cool stonework, feels more South of France than where it is, on Rue des Gravilliers in the capital’s Third Arrondissement. Owner Ines de Villeneuve (the former merchandising director at Luis Vuitton) and her life partner, interior designer Francois Champsaur, wanted to design a place in the middle of the city that felt like Champsaur’s native Marseille and Provence: “a place with a Mediterranean touch, ‘cabanon’ spirit, full of light and authentic materials like plaster, wood, and furniture from the flea market,” de Villeneuve says. When they found an abandoned former bakery just north of the Marais, the couple undertook six months of renovations to transform the run-down “long dark corridor” into a bright cafe with three distinct spaces and styles. At the front, a terrasse of sorts, de Villeneuve says, “which invites people to enter.” Here are 11 ideas to steal.
Photography by Alison Engstrom for Remodelista.
1. Make a first impression.
![consider curb appeal: to invite passerby into café ineko, de villeneuve an 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-facade-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
2. Mix and match garden furniture, indoors.
![the front terrasse room has the feel of a laid back garden in a generations old 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-area-1-seating-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
3. Take cues from greenhouses.
![for a respite from the heat, add elements from the garden. in a quirky vignette 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-area-1-stone-basin-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
![ferns and air plants seem to grow from the stone walls in the front terras 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-area-1-set-table-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
4. Curate a high/low mix of tableware.
![on a vintage cafe table, ceramics by an italian artisan living in belgium mix w 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-area-1-tablescape-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
5. Evoke vintage summer with caned furniture.
![vintage caned chairs, brought indoors, convey garden ease. similar styles are a 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-area-1-chair-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
6. Add a well-placed spout or two for intrigue.
![brass spouts set into the wall water plants, and, as shown here, also serve as 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-faucets-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
7. Nurture good bones.
![de villeneuve and champsaur took cues from the feel of each section within the 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-area-2-seating-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
![renovate with respect to history. beams are left to show through, and a bench, 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-area-2-seating-detail-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
8. Forget gallery walls: Make a statement with small details.
![in a more polished, streamlined section of the cafe (with furniture by champsau 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-area-3-seating-detail-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
![another small statement: a single brass ship\2\17;s light from pari 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-area-3-table-chair-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
9. Stack, rather than lay out, tableware.
![for an impromptu table setting, stack napkins, placemats, and glassware on the 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-area-3-tabletop-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
10. Invest in artisan-made flatware.
![seek out beautiful flatware for daily use. here, knives handmade by an artisan 29](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-flatware-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
11. Embrace quirk.
![steel frame windows double as handwritten signs—and a place for quirky, 30](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-window-detail-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
![Summer in the Chateau Garden 11 Vintage Ideas to Steal from Cafe Ineko in Paris portrait 6 31](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cafe-ineko-facade-detail-alison-engstrom-733x1098.jpg)
More design ideas to steal from our favorite restaurants:
- French Glam on a Budget: 15 Ideas to Steal from Mimi, New York’s Sexiest Bistro
- Texture and Gloss: 10 Ideas to Steal from a Hip London Cafe
- GreenHouse: A Natural Wine Bar in Paris, Botanical Edition
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