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Ladurée has been in business since 1862 when its first bakery, cafe, and salon de thé opened in Paris serving ganache-filled macarons to the masses. Now, over 150 years later, the pastel and Versailles-inspired aesthetic of the brand has been given a modern twist by renowned Paris-based designer India Mahdavi (the woman behind the interiors at London’s Sketch restaurant and Claridge’s hotel) for the new Beverly Hills location.
“They came to see me because they felt it was time for them to come up with a new concept,” explains Mahdavi, who also worked on the brand’s Geneva and Los Angeles (at The Grove) locations. Mahdavi engineered a “Marie Antoinette goes to Hollywood” decor for the bakery’s new spot. It is very much in keeping with the palette of the macarons themselves. “I used the brand’s signature mint green and added pink to break it up,” says Mahdavi. “The space is very long with high ceilings and so the concept became ‘a garden of delights,’ hence the oversized flower-power details and trellis.” The designer used French versions of Chipperfield chairs, vintage white and pink Gio Ponti high wicker chairs, ceramic tables, and mint green custom banquettes (“an updated version of an American diner banquette”) to achieve this garden patio environment.
Gourmands can expect to find the classic macarons in best-selling flavors like chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, and rose, a forthcoming ice cream menu, and sandwiches, salads, breakfast items, coffee, tea, and wine. It’s the perfect place to wind down after an afternoon of shopping or to take a meeting.
“We wanted to write a new chapter in the Ladurée story with a new look for L.A. while keeping our DNA (pastels colors in a delightful space),” says the brand’s U.S. president Elisabeth Holder. “We choose to work with India as we love her work, the colors she use, the plumpness of her furniture, and her delicate, feminine style.” Does Holder have a favorite design detail? “I love the terrazzo and bronze counter and the reimagined Gio Ponti chairs but also, look at the feet of the tables, they’re shaped like sugar candy,” she exclaims.