The Bar Cart That Put Studio Caramel on the Map

In a world of small design studios looking for a way to stand out, Studio Caramel found its niche in an object that was hard to find in the Beirut market: the bar cart.

Founded in 2016 by Rami Boushdid and Elie Bassil, the studio is now based between Beirut and Paris, working across furniture, product design and interiors.

The piece was made for Baron, a Beirut restaurant, and had to function as a complete mobile bar that could be moved around the space.

The studio worked with the restaurant's owners and architects, using the plans to work out what the cart needed to hold and how it would be used.

Walnut, brass and black steel make up the cart, with a large wheel fixed to one side.

"There was a lot of conversation about what it would be used for," says co-founder and art director Rami Boushdid. "This bar cart was the only bar in the place."

Once the piece was finished, the founders photographed it and put it out into the world. The coverage brought new clients and helped establish the young studio beyond Beirut. "This is how our story started," Boushdid says.

"The people enjoyed our creation and they started talking about us and our client base grew and we learned the business from there on."

Custom furniture soon became a major part of Studio Caramel's work. The studio has since produced desks, chairs and trays, alongside commissions for Baccarat, Paris Saint-Germain's Parc des Princes, Roland-Garros, hotels and Soho House locations in Paris and the US.

The studio describes its overall style as Mid-Century Modern, bringing elements of the period into its furniture through its use of wood, clean forms and functional details.

One of its commissions, 'Mirage', is a music box developed with Swiss manufacturer Reuge after a gallery approached the studio with the project.

Its mechanical movement sits visibly above a walnut base, surrounded by brass and black steel. A hand crank sets the mechanism in motion.

"When they saw that we could create something as difficult and technical as a bar cart, they thought, okay, if they can do this, they could be able to do a music box," Boushdid says.

The studio has also returned to the bar cart with its HOB collection. The name comes from the Arabic word "hob", meaning love, and also references "hobnob", a word associated with mingling and socialising.

The carts use curved walnut, marquetry, mother-of-pearl and tinted wood veneers, with custom motifs and finishes available for each piece. They are designed to hold wine, coffee, books and other objects.

"We wanted to create something that is accessible for everyone, but that is also ultra-customisable," Boushdid says.

Interiors have also become part of the studio's work, bringing the founders back to their original training.

"We come from an interior design background," Boushdid explains. "Our studies started as interior designers, but we were able to stand out with our furniture design."

One of the studio's interior projects is 'Levain', a wine bar in Beirut. The project began with research into Lebanese wineries and the country's wine-making regions, which informed the materials and colours used throughout the space. Walnut shelving, warm lighting and muted reds, olive green and ochre shape the interior.

"They wanted to include all Lebanese wines. We had to study the terrain and the wineries and how it's done," says Boushdid.

Studio Caramel's first bar cart remains at the centre of its story. What began as a specific commission led to more furniture projects, eventually opening up work in product design and interiors.