Aroma Architecture
Visual prestige of a large, gleaming espresso machine was essential during this time period (and probably still is). Psychologically it gave the halo effect of luxury, communicated meticulous standards, acted as a theatrical focal point and gave sensory aromas and sounds.
In researching Belle Époque espresso machines, most made a massive statement. My pâtisserie did not have room for such in the niche, so I opted to scale down (no pun intended) to a less commercial version of the “Elektra Belle Époque” without a cup-warming carousel. I made my own. The vertical boiler cylinder is a copper-sheet-covered wooden dowel trimmed in copper tape and topped with a perforated copper covered disc for the drip tray. I planned on soldering the copper seams, but a first attempt proved disastrous. One redo per customer.
I scouted around for items that would create the levers, pressure gauge, steam wand, and valve knob and came up with more mini newel posts, buttons, beads, thick wire and some glue caps. They were assembled, painted and then glued to the unit one by one, with a lot of effort to get them to adhere in place properly. The pressure gauge is a little hard to read, but other than that it works great.
The Rustic Slip
The beautiful metal cake plates, tea service, tap and door knobs come from a Scottish artist specializing in historical French unfinished miniatures. The front door knobs were gilded and so was the tap handle for the coffee area—it is vital for supplying the espresso machine with water and they use a filtered water vessel, also in copper. The porcelain pieces have wonderful Rococo lace-like relief and ruffled scalloped borders. In an effort to emphasis the design, matte cream was selected followed by antique glaze to bring out the details. They came out lovely, just maybe a little too rustic French ironstone instead of matte Limoges porcelain. Even so, I had already made an error in the style and have been debating whether to go back and refinish them all as Vieux Paris (Old Paris) before they get stained from use.
Traditional French luxury tea rooms relied on Vieux Paris porcelain with thick glossy glaze and real gold leaf detailing on the rims to act like a mirror, reflecting the dim gas lamps. The glossy glaze was practical as it prevented absorption of stains like coffee or lip coloring and the gold banding was fired into the porcelain so it could withstand constant washing and stacking.