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Words by: ICFF March 11, 2025

Rudy Guénaire interprets his dreams with a pencil. A budding adventurer, he first established himself as a successful restaurateur with the PNY brand and designed the decor for several of his own establishments before launching his own agency, Night Flight, a reference to Saint-Exupéry’s eponymous novel.

Guénaire designs personal, intimate, and lively architectural projects. Inspired by poet-architects, by exceptional craftsmanship and cinema, he revisits restaurants and residential projects with a new approach to modernity.

PNY Restaurant, Nantes

When you were a kid, what did you dream of becoming? Did any of those childhood ambitions lead you to where you are today?
Rudy Guénaire: The first time I was seriously asked this question when I was 11, I replied quite naturally that I wanted to be a designer. Then I went on to further studies, set up a restaurant group before finally finding the occupation that comes most naturally to me: creating spaces.

Is there a particular designer, artwork, or design movement that deeply inspires you? How has it influenced your own style or philosophy?
RG: I really like what was happening in Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century. It’s as if, as a world was dying out, it decided to deliver the quintessence of the best it could do through its last stirrings. But poetry and philosophy inspire me more and more.

PNY Restaurant, Grenoble

How would you describe your design philosophy? Has it evolved over time, and if so, how?
RG: I like telling stories. The story may be a bit simple and even naive, but without that, I don’t feel I’m any good. More and more, I try to find the genesis of ideas and the answers to problems inside myself. It’s so nice to be cut off from the world.

Tell us a bit about where you live: How long have you been there, and how does your environment shape your creative process?
RG: I live in a former artist’s studio in the heart of Paris.  The bedrooms are on the lower floor, facing a wonderful little courtyard. Upstairs, the living areas are under a huge glass roof, as if on the deck of a ship. Everything is white and changes colour according to the light in the sky. It’s simply wonderful.

Was there a specific turning point or experience when you realized that design was your true calling?
I cofounded a group of restaurants before becoming a designer. So I was a designer’s client. After 7 restaurants and many hours on site, I realised that designers had a much cooler job than I did. I have infinite respect for the creative act, which is perhaps why it took me so long to get into it. I didn’t dare.

PNY Restaurant, Lille

In your opinion, what is the most significant challenge facing the design world today? How do you think designers should respond to it?
RG: I have the impression that everyone draws more or less the same thing. Instagram and Pinterest make aesthetics accessible, but it’s all becoming very superficial. Without depth, I don’t think things last.

What are you currently working on?
RG: We’re designing a restaurant in Miami, turning a huge car park into an office in Paris and launching a furniture collection, among other very exciting things. It’s all a bit crazy at the moment.

What’s a favorite movie, band, or song that has inspired or shaped your creative mind?
RG: I’ve always been fascinated by David Lynch, whom I adore. I’ve never had any trouble understanding his films. They speak to me completely. It’s amazing, this kind of encounter. The philosopher Gilles Deleuze used to say how rare and precious these encounters were.

Appartement, Paris

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