Spirit of Iberian taverns informs wood-heavy Parisian restaurant

Emerging Marseille firm Bétyle Studio has designed the interiors for Arcane 17, a Basque and Catalan restaurant in Paris featuring patinated timber and distinctive marquetry.

Located in the city's Le Marais neighbourhood in the 4th arrondissement, Arcane 17 is a petite eatery that sits within a centuries-old building.

Bétyle Studio founders Carla Romano and Nicolas Cazenave de la Roche wanted to honour the owners' Catalan roots through their restaurant design.

"Rather than reproducing the codes of a traditional Spanish restaurant, we wanted to reinterpret the idea of the Iberian tavern through a more contemporary and refined language," studio founders Carla Romano and Nicolas Cazenave de la Roche told Dezeen.

In this spirit, the designers clad the open space in an abundance of wood.

The dining area is characterised by ebonised panelling, while the tubular stainless steel bar is topped with delicate slabs of marquetry detailing playful motifs, from shooting stars to a cartoonish lobster.

"We drew inspiration from the energy of rural churches, dark woods and the movement of traditional fans," explained Romano and Cazenave de la Roche.

"We did not want these references to be literal, but rather to emerge through materials, textures and forms."

Classic, bentwood chairs feature alongside uniform timber tables. In one corner, a red-clad banquette subtly nods to traditional Parisian bistros.

All of the space's joinery was conceived bespoke for the restaurant by a Marseille-based carpenter and frequent collaborator of Bétyle Studio.

"We worked with different species of wood and experimented with various techniques to stain, ebonise and patinate the timber," said Romano and Cazenave de la Roche.

"The idea was to give depth to the surfaces and create elements that feel as though they could have belonged to the space for a long time."

Local studio Côme Clérino designed a selection of chunky plaster sconces specifically for the restaurant that loosely resemble elongated seashells.

Founded in January 2025, Bétyle Studio works across interior architecture and furniture design. Last year, the studio transformed an old farm building in Marseille into a compact, wood-lined home.

Elsewhere in Paris, architect Cyrus Ardalan recently renovated a corner apartment with a timber-heavy interior, complete with porthole-style openings designed to feel nautical.

The photography is by Axel Aurejac.

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