A stylish Parisian neo-bistro by Vladimir Pozner and Alexander Rappaport in central Moscow. It has an interior with a modern combination of art deco well known to the citizens of a cosmopolitan city. Architects aimed to recapture the gleaming atmosphere of Paris in the 60s without overloading it with many authentic details and exceedingly aristocratic interior.

The café is located on the ground floor of a residential house on Ostozhenka. It was opened in 2004 by Vladimir Pozner and named after his mother, Geraldine Lutten. In 2017 it was decided to renovate the place’s concept and its interior, preserving only the name. The restaurateur Alexander Rappoport joined the development of the new concept for neo-bistro. The Parisian café Monsieur Bleu carried in art deco spirit inspired the interiors renovation.

As a basis for the colour layout, the green marble was taken, it was used for a wine cellar, a bar counter, and a part of the flooring. The “Irish green” stone was brought purposely from Italy, and then based on its tone the furniture was selected, as well as fabrics in olive and mustard colours.

In the centre of the main hall, there is an upholstered in velvet sofa, designed precisely for this project, it serves as a focal point to the whole space. Above it, the chandelier is hanged that was designed by architects from two thousand glass and latten brass tubes and complemented with a floral composition from marsh and meadow plants. The majority of seats are located to the right and left sides of the sofa. Along with the main hall, the renovated neo-bistro offers a cosy VIP room that has been arranged in one of the former utility rooms. It is adorned with an elegant chandelier replicated from the photos of its vintage original of the 30s in the Petersburg workshop ‘Handle’. The tables are also made to order, their designs incorporate the materials used in the interior, such as latten grass, marble, wood.

The ambience of the Parisian café with a long history is recreated with the use of original furniture from the middle of the last century. Among the styled in the 60s tables, armchairs, lamps, one might find vintage chairs – two chairs attract particular attention, by a famous architect and designer Carlo de Carli, with original upholstery – table counters for print media, and other authentic objects of the epoch. All antique furniture was brought from France and Holland; most of the vintage furniture was selected and renovated in the workshop “Palisandr” together with the architects of the project.

The picturesque bas-reliefs with floral ornaments on the wall of the main hall add the adornment of art deco to the interior. One gets the feeling that they have always been a part of the building, however, like the rest of the interior details, they were designed and custom-built from the sketches of the architects. At the entrance, there is a bas-relief in shape of a female face, which recognizably portrays the features of Geraldine.

Lavatories preserve the light atmosphere of a Parisian brasserie and are designed in the same warm colours as an entire interior. A bright and exceptional element in this zone is a washstand cabinet with a light panel picture next to it illustrating the well-known shot of “Life” magazine of 1959. Through a delicate and thought-out stylization of all interior details in Geraldine, the modern and democratic atmosphere has been created, harmoniously filled with the aesthetics of the epoch and the mood of a Parisian neo-bistro, to the liking of both young and more senior visitors.

Designed by Valery Lizunov, Ekaterina Ageeva, Natalia Sisauri / Archpoint
Photography by Olga Melekestseva