Chirico, who charmed March director Rodney Eggleston with a mushroom brioche, wanted to strip out all distractions, and focusing on selling bread – plain and simple.

The approach suited Eggleston perfectly. “Our interior spaces attempt to amplify the product. We’re of the opinion that if it’s good produce, it’s going to sell itself, so we looked at older methods of shop design – like a florist where the flowers are the store, or a butchers where it’s the meat.”

The resultant design involves stunning, undulating wooden shelves that curve in an almost organic wave. Cut from plywood, they vary in depth to accommodate everything from a long, thin baguette to a short, fat pagnotta.

“The entire space becomes this enormous bread basket,” he says. “Daniel has so many different shapes and sizes of bread, so we were looking for a shape that could absorb all that.”

Practicality was a major requirement. “Bread has particular qualities it needs around it, particularly when it’s cooling. Those pragmatics really drove the design.”

Designed on computer, the shelves were cut to exact specifications by an enormous machine router, and they can be adapted onsite to accommodate varying depths and heights.

The counter is another striking aspect of the finished design.

“Daniel wanted to sell the bread by the kilo, so the counter is an extension of that,” Eggleston says. “It’s basically an enormous cutting block made of Victorian Ash where he can slice up bread at will.”

The space benefits from plenty of natural sunlight thanks to a large glass facade, and the business end of the bakery out the back is clearly visible from the counter, so Chirico and crew can be spotted hard at work.

A hint of old-school style is suggested by the black-and-white marble chequered floor, and Eggleston’s team also drew inspiration from some of Paris’ best bakeries, as pointed out by Chirico. The final result is a perfect marriage of Chirico’s practical sensibilities and March Studio’s muted signature.

“We’re always paring back the material palette and expressing the product as much as possible, as well as expressing an interest in geometry,” Eggleston says. ■