Set within a historic 19th-century Beaux-Arts building in Paris, YPSELI by TRAIL [practice] reinterprets Greek hospitality through a sculptural red core, fluid circulation, and Mediterranean material references, creating an immersive dialogue between contemporary design, fine dining, and the building’s preserved historic shell.
Located in the heart of Paris’ 2nd arrondissement, YPSELI is a hybrid bistronomic restaurant and deli designed by Athens-based studio TRAIL [practice]. Occupying the ground floor of a historic 19th-century Beaux-Arts building near Rue Montorgueil, the project introduces a contemporary interpretation of Greek hospitality within the context of the Parisian dining scene.
Conceived as both a culinary and spatial experience, YPSELI merges restaurant, grocery store, deli, and wine cellar into a unified architectural narrative.
A Contemporary Intervention within a Historic Setting
Developed in collaboration with founders Syméon Kamsizoglou, Delphine Pique, and chef Fragiskos Dandoulakis, the project approaches hospitality through atmosphere, tactility, and movement.
TRAIL [practice] inserts a distinct contemporary layer that deliberately contrasts with the existing architecture.
Colour, geometry, and circulation become the primary tools for defining a new spatial identity.
The original structural envelope remains exposed, revealing concrete dividing walls and traces of the building’s former condition.
Within this preserved shell, the architects introduce a custom free-standing shelving grid in TRAIL’s signature steel detailing.
Operating as a repeatable organizational structure, the grid transforms the deli into a three-dimensional display landscape capable of adaptation and future evolution.
More than a functional device, the system establishes a dialogue between retail, dining, and storytelling.
Movement Around a Red ‘Coeur’
At the centre of the project lies a bold monochromatic intervention: a red architectural core conceived as an autonomous insertion within the historic envelope.
Extending across the floor and rising into sculptural volumes, the vivid red surface generates an immersive internal microcosm that redefines the spatial experience of the restaurant.
Organized around this central gesture, circulation unfolds through a fluid peripheral route that guides visitors between dining, retail, and wine-tasting areas before culminating at the bar — the social focal point of the space.
Red sculptural elements accommodate the project’s support functions while simultaneously operating as spatial markers that choreograph movement and visual rhythm.
Above the bar, a suspended linear mirror amplifies the theatricality of the interior, reflecting activity and visually extending the compact floor plan.
The project’s irregular polygonal footprint prompted the architects to establish four circulation axes that structure the customer experience and optimize the relationship between the different programmatic zones.
Large façade openings allow natural light to penetrate deep into the interior, creating a continuous visual dialogue between the Parisian streetscape and YPSELI’s immersive environment.
Materials Evoking the Greek Islands
Materiality draws heavily from Mediterranean references while avoiding direct nostalgia. The red flooring recalls Cycladic interiors, while ochre tones evoke the facades of Hydra.
Marble surfaces sourced from Dionysos, Tinos, and Eretria introduce textures and colours rooted in the Greek landscape, combined with the marble upcycling and steel details characteristic of TRAIL [practice].
Through a restrained yet highly atmospheric architectural language, YPSELI translates elements of Greek social and spatial culture into a contemporary context, positioning hospitality as a collective and immersive experience.
Plans
Facts & Credits
Project title: Ypseli
Project type: Interiors | Restaurant
Architecture: TRAIL
Design team: Manos Babounis, Nasia Filippou, Konstantina Eglezou, Maria Skeva, Chrysa Koularmani
Local architect: MVMS Architectes
Area: 530 m2
Photography: The Social Food