bar of the orient express

The new Orient Express train has been reinterpreted by Maxime d’Angeac to summarize his travels. Check out the bar of the Orient Express.

Orient Express unveils for the first time the decor of the future Bar-Car, a sumptuous showcase inviting passengers under large domes of light inspired by the Second Empire style. The bar area features a glass counter and an ideal tribute to René Lalique. At each table, a clock rings for cocktail and dinner times. A call button is reserved for the champagne service. Another for the staff…

Upon first glance, you can tell that the “new” train exudes as much glamour as its predecessor. Opulent and visually appealing, the Orient Express 2.0 appears to blend a 1920s aesthetic with contemporary and mod styles-a champagne call button on the bar car tables, modern artwork throughout the cabins, a layout designed to optimize space-along with original details such as Lalique flower lamps and Morrison and Nelson marquetry.

The latter were found virtually intact when the train was “rediscovered” in 2015 by industrial history researcher Arthur Mettetal, after being abandoned for nearly 10 years on the border between Belarus and Poland.

Images courtesy of Accor Hotels

Within this framework, D’Angeac worked to reinterpret some of the defining elements of the early Orient Express, such as the rail-patterned tapestry introduced by Suzanne Lalique in the 1930s, which he incorporated throughout the train, from the leather partitions in the bar to the design touches in the dining car.

He also reintroduced dark wood paneling-“a signature of the Orient Express,” he explains-but gave them new life by juxtaposing them with bright colors such as green and purple, which can be seen in the luxurious velvet furnishings that cover the train.

Also notable are the textured carpets in the hallways-described as “theatrical” in a statement detailing the renovation efforts-the bar’s large Second Empire-style light domes and the restaurant’s mirrored ceiling (all interiors play heavily with glass and mirrors, both in homage to Lalique and to encourage a sense of openness).

 

Cocktails aboard the bar of the Orient Express

Mixologist Remy Savage draws inspiration from the iconic route connecting Paris to Istanbul for a new signature cocktail served in the stunning @casarialto.official glassware of the Steam Dream collection.

This imaginative infusion starts with a French, grape-based vodka base infused with redistilled Carraway from Germany and wild basil from Austria. The cocktail is then finished with sweet Hungarian Tokaji wine and pomegranate flowers from Turkey.

Photo : Orient Express Instagram

Recipe:

60 ml Orient Express

Distillate

10 ml Tokai

20 ml water

 

The Dining-Car

Spectacular and unexpected, the Dining-Car revisits the codes of the Orient Express. Maxime d’Angeac reinterprets the “rail” motif created by Suzanne Lalique-Haviland in the 1930s, which has been reworked on the partitions using the stoneboard technique.

Under a mirrored ceiling, crossed by a series of arches, tables, and wrap-around armchairs line up, lit by lampshades revisiting the original models.

Enjoying the bar of the Orient Express? You can see more of the Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express after Paris, since the new design will also be on display at Design Miami, Nov. 30-Dec. 4, though if you can’t attend either, you can also explore the train via a new video tour.

 

Don’t drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly.

 

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