Uchronia's Café Shin Marais Embeds Material Memory of Previous Locations

Café Shin Marais, located at 115 rue de Turenne in Paris 3e, has been completed by the architectural firm Uchronia, under the direction of Julien Sebban. This third establishment is distinct from the previous two, as it incorporates elements from its predecessors: an unfinished concrete floor from the original Petites Écuries, brickwork from the Palais-Royal site, and a new room featuring a skylight that reaches nearly four meters in height. The design includes three entrances—café, screening room, and residential building—guiding movement through various thresholds. Inside, the café showcases a counter wrapped in hammered chrome panels, pink ceramic tiles, and a curved mirrored light fixture. Stained ash and pine furniture in shades of burgundy, blush, lavender, and sage creates a vibrant color palette. The screening room, curated by Shin Eun Jung, features Korean films on a blue upholstered platform adorned with ikat-patterned Palet tiles. Uchronia’s approach views each venue as part of a collective archive, a unique long-term strategy in Parisian hospitality design. Since 2023, the collaboration among Shin Eun Jung, Julien Sebbag, and Uchronia has fostered a cohesive spatial language that merges Korean café culture with Parisian hospitality, raising questions about the potential for expansion beyond three locations.