Swan Café, Cape Town

Swan Café, Cape Town is a traditional French crêperie in the city’s burgeoning creative district. Designed by Haldane Martin Iconic Design, the café is elegant and feminine and the atmosphere evokes the charm of Paris in a space completely unique to the mother city. The fit-outs were executed by Woodwork Specialist.

The blue swan logo at the core of the graphic identity (designed by Heidi Chisholm) is the central interior design concept. A graceful, majestic creature with mythological significance; the blue swan’s attributes form the brand’s identity and interior design. It has been used as an emblem and, throughout the interiors, as a feminine oval shape.

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Leda and the Swan”, in monochromatic dark blue, forms the centrepiece wallpaper. The Renaissance painting tells the tale from Greek mythology of Zeus disguising himself as a swan to seduce his love, Leda. On the back wall, Jean-Léon Gérôme’s romantic version reiterates the mythology and the symbolism associated with love, music and poetry.

The blue, red and white French flag is artfully interpreted into dominant dark blue, grey, pinkish timber finishes and dashes of red accents. The colour scheme extends to the waiters’ uniforms, crockery and merchandise. The place conveys a typical Parisian attitude: cheeky, sexy and oozing French flair. From the wallpaper pattern, with its repeated swan motif that hints at a nude in the negative spaces, to the large-scale murals of voluptuous figures.

Furniture, lighting and finishes pick up the brand’s signature colours. Furnishings pay homage to traditional French cafés, with marble bistro tables and bespoke chairs, original ceramic tiles, and vintage lighting along with birdcage lights that reinforce the avian concept.

The final result is sophisticated and inviting in all aspects – interior design, menu and ambience; all of which pay extreme attention to detail and reinforce the Swan Café’s brand identity.