Bonhomie

MUSIC CURATION

“Bonhomie. It’s not just the name, it’s our whole philosophy,” describes Dotan Shalev, owner of this contemporary and cool restaurant in Paris, France. Bonhomie means a feeling of friendliness amongst a group of people and this is exactly what the space encapsulates. Set in the trendy 10th arrondisement, Bonhomie is the perfect place to stop in for a coffee, meet clients for lunch, enjoy a drink after work, have a cozy dinner or cap off the night with a curated cocktail. Yup - that’s right. All those things in one environment.

Operating for nearly 18 hours daily, music is an integral component to changing between the different atmospheres and offerings of Bonhomie. As well as keeping staff motivated, interested and providing their best possible service to customers. Bonhomie’s crowd are cool professionals mainly between 25-40 years of age.

So how do you switch from a morning coffeeshop to a bustling lunch spot? How do you keep customers from an after work cocktail bar for dinner in a chic and cool restaurant? This was the task at hand for The Vibe Project.

The secret to several changing environments in one space is to match the rhythm of the music with the natural rhythm of a space - all the while gently nudging customers towards your goal. We created two unique sets of playlists that run through Bonhomie's 18-hour days. One set ranging from sunny soul, cool instrumentals, 90s hip-hop, and upbeat disco-era vibes; the second set with a strong soulful emphasis, ranging from old school Motown to contemporary soul and R&B. The themes we stuck with throughout both playlists are a relaxed cool, a soulful playground and a modern communal environment. We didn’t want the music to isolate customers - we want it to create a shared Bonhomie experience.

Take a look at the Bonhomie atmosphere below, some recent press (The New York Times!)  and of course, the Bonhomie vibes.