IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A Parisian Brasserie in Dubai From the Designer Luke Edward Hall

There’s nothing subtle about it,” says the English artist and designer Luke Edward Hall of his latest creative project, Josette, a Parisian-inspired brasserie that opened in Dubai on Feb. 1. Named after the French actor Josette Day, who starred in Jean Cocteau’s “Beauty and the Beast” (1946), its silver-leafed ceilings and mirrored columns bring some old-fashioned cinematic glamour to the city. “It’s quite different for Dubai — what I wanted to do was make something that felt very feminine,” Hall says. Inside, Hall’s drawings adorn the walls as well as the napkins (he tapped the Brooklyn-based designer Zan Goodman, who worked on his 2019 book, “Greco Disco,” for art direction). The enormous bar is what Hall calls “Dorothy Draper-esque,” with its green marble and oversize molding. Hall sketched it in pencil before architects at Florence, Italy’s Studio 63 rendered it to be produced on-site. “The stuff that they’ve been able to build is just bonkers,” he says. “We’re just really going for it and created something that I hope feels fun and playful and transporting.” Visitors can attend regular performances by the singer Sébastien Agius, push a button for Champagne during afternoon tea and sample the menu charmingly illustrated by Hall and featuring classic French dishes, including ratatouille and escargot.
-By Arden Fanning Andrews