Orchid Precipitated by the need for outdoor dining space in 2020, Jeune et Jolie owner John Resnick expanded the footprint of his intimate, 2,000-square-foot new-wave French restaurant in Carlsbad, Calif, into the adjacent parking lot, reimagining the ambience of the restaurant outdoors. The original design team transformed the 1,800-square-foot cement driveway and asphalt parking spots into an al fresco dining experience where guests can now enjoy the nouvelle French cuisine from Executive Chef Eric Bost and his team in a completely reinvented outdoor landscape without losing any of the original design narrative — young and beautiful, carefree and light-hearted with touches of Parisian polish balanced with the casual California coast culture.
A low stucco wall was constructed to wrap around the new area to enclose and give visual continuity to the existing original front patio. Jeune et Jolie’s pale green arched windows introduce a motif of pill-shaped curves and a palette that pays homage to both its beachy proximity and Parisian chic influence. The facade opens onto “antique” terracotta tiles in a double basketweave pattern and concrete banquettes with cozy pillows in pop accent colors. Fifty year-old olive trees and native in-ground plantings bring organic life to the environs, as brass bistro tables shimmer under soft string lighting, conjuring an era of vintage luxe and timeless appeal.