Dorothée Meilichzon’s redesign of Charles de Gaulle airport Terminal 2G was finished almost a year ago. I have only just seen it because flights from JFK land at Terminal 2E and Terminal 2G is the Schengen (Euro Borderless Zone) terminal which means the terminal for flights or connections for Europe. It’s an interesting design. I don’t know if this style has a name. To me, it looks like a mix of French mid-century design and Memphis design style. It’s my least favorite for a Paris apartment or hotel but it works perfectly for a public space.

Dorothée Meilichzon is the founder of Chzon studio and said, “The initial idea was simple, but oh so exciting: 1,300 square meters of experiences to invent, furniture to design, boredom to deceive, conviviality to create, intimacy to preserve. In a few words, dramatize the boarding lounge while keeping the passenger informed”.

According to Yellowtrace, “Nods to Parisian monuments and icons are seen throughout the interior, from a working fountain that mimics the same one in the Luxembourg Garden and its famous chairs, the arches of Paris and street sculptures by the Les Simmonets. The piece de resistance though would have to be a huge fresco, inspired by the French artist Sonia Delaunay, offering a view of the sky from take-off to landing. “It literally runs the length of the boarding hall and evokes an airport runway and its components seen from the air,” says Meilichzon. “You can easily recognise the ground markings that are useful for the smooth movement of planes.”

“Almost all the furniture was designed by the Chzon studio, including most of the seats, mushroom-shaped lamps typical of the 1920s, trellises and chess tables—reminiscent of walks in the park. Antique furniture purchased at the St Ouen flea market (where else?) was installed throughout the space, including giant Enac wall lights, aluminium sunshades, and turbine suspensions, while the reclined armchairs echoing plane seats were designed by Osvaldo Borsani—I’m not sure if it gets any more authentic than that.”

I hope I get to see it on one of my future trips and while we are on the topic of Paris, this might be a good time to discuss the current strike situation in France since I’ve been asked about it frequently on Instagram. In case you haven’t been watching the news, French President Emmanuel Macron pushed through the increase of the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a full vote in parliament. The current pension system won’t be able to support the rapidly aging population. Garbage collectors were already on strike over the pension reforms since they have a lower life expectancy due to the physical nature of their jobs and garbage has been piling up. Some arrondissements have private trash collections so some neighborhoods are fine while others have it overflowing their streets and sidewalks. The strikes turned into more destructive protests each night in Paris but mostly around the Place de la Concorde and Place de la République areas.

The big question is when will all of this end. There is expected to be no confidence vote in government this week and another strike on Thursday, March 23rd which may add fuel to the fire. A Parisian posted online today that they think things will end at the beginning of April after monthly-paid workers are paid for February and they see how much of their paycheck is missing due to being out on strike. Other people don’t think it be over that soon. Most residents and tourists have said that the strikes haven’t disrupted their lives or trips too much. You can talk to your hotel and check online to see which services might be on strike and which areas you might want to avoid. I have a trip scheduled in April so I will be keeping on top of any new developments for myself and those of you traveling this spring.