Paris Metro wall tiles immortalised in chocolate
Classic art nouveau earthenware tiles are a design classic - and now they have inspired a chocolatier
The Paris Metro's famous wall tiles have been immortalised in chocolate.
Millions of people walk through the corridors of the capital's extensive underground transport system every week, yet few pay attention to the art nouveau white and blue bricks that line the tunnels.
And yet the earthenware tile, created by Hector Guimard at the end of the 19th century and designed to bring light into the dark subterranean world, is something of a design classic. It has been reused, adapted and copied for many different locations and reasons - and, today, is even available in edible form.
Created by chocolate maker Jacques Bockel, Les petits carreaux de Paris chocolates are designed to look like the tiles that line the walls of the Metro. "When Ile-de-France residents take the Paris metro, it's not for pleasure. It's out of necessity," he said. "To transform this necessity into a pleasurable product... I found this idea extraordinary."
"This earthenware is sober, elegant", explains Julie Roch-Fontes, of the Paris design agency that developed the "Les Petits Carreaux de Paris" brand. "We have a designer chocolate, Art nouveau."
The chocolate bars - and a tartine - are available at selected stockists in Paris, but also on the internet.
