The building, the last historic structure on its boulevard, has been lovingly preserved and reimagined, blending original 17th-century features with bold, modern interventions, with each floor telling a distinct story where Fischler’s eye for harmony shines—although the spaces have been designed as a Dadaist collage, they don’t feel disjointed or chaotic. Connecting all four floors are two staircases that encapsulate the scheme’s past-meets-present duality; one is a period wooden construction, the other a bright red industrial design.

On the ground floor, the “grand” bar nods to the Art Nouveau aesthetic of the original Cravan in the 16th arrondissement, which occupies a café dating from 1911. Thonet chairs, quilted banquettes, and painstakingly restored decorative ceramic tiles transport patrons back to the Belle Époque, while the refurbished 17th-century woodwork hints at the building’s origins, creating a space that feels and timeless.

Just like Fischler’s interiors, each drink on the menu is a study in balance in line with Audoux’s philosophy of cocktail-making which he describes as both poetic and scientific. Underpinned by his deep understanding of the cocktail’s history in France—his own book “French Moderne: Cocktails from the Twenties and Thirties with recipes” by Rizzoli can be found in the second-floor library—CRAVAN’s offerings are deceptively simple in composition yet complex in taste. From classics to new creations to champagne cocktails (the bar was established in partnership with Moët Hennessy), every cocktail showcases the purity of carefully sourced ingredients. The Mad Collins, a refreshing combination of gin, ginger, and sparkling water, is a case in point, as is the opulent French 75, which pairs Agastache gin and absinthe with champagne, while The Lady from Shanghai, a mix of white peach gin, jasmine tea, and lime cordial, proves that even the most audacious combinations can achieve elegance and sophistication.