“I wanted to keep the soul,” says Frederique Thiollet, proprietor of Hotel Particulier, a galley/café/shop inside what was once a loading dock on Grand Street. She certainly succeeded: Thiollet, who studied business and interior architecture design, has created an appealing space that’s both finished and raw (note the manhole in the middle of the concrete floor). The square footage is around 1,700, but the volume is much higher, thanks to ceilings that are 18 feet tall in some parts.

The point of the spareness is to keep patrons focused on each other. Hotel Particulier is hosting salons related to its gallery shows, an Oxford Muse conversation series, and dinners with artists, scholars, and collectors.

You can also just stop by for a coffee or a bite to eat. The café—named Café à la Carte—is a “no-kitchen” restaurant, meaning the food is sourced from elsewhere. Currently, that means three sandwiches from Margo Patisserie in Williamsburg, two hot hand pies from Pie Corps in Greenpoint, a quiche from Beny’s Delice in Prospect Heights, pastries from Ceci-Cela in Soho, and two salads from Taïm in the West Village and Nolita. “The idea is to curate the menu like curate we the gallery,” says Thiollet. “It’s like four or five different restaurants in one place.” Coffee, pastries, and the sandwiches can be ordered to go—the latter come with chips, fruit, and a macaron (for $9.50)—but otherwise, it’s all meant to be eaten there. “I want people to stop and take a moment. And I don’t like salad in cardboard.” (In a French accent, that sounds inarguable.) There’s also a private four-seat conference room that you can reserve.

The shop, too, will be changed up regularly. Right now, it carries Essent’ial sacks and totes, made from washable paper. Up next is a notepad with Coolife Studio, and a perfume is in the works.

Hotel Particulier is at 6 Grand (between Varick and Sixth Ave.), 646-329-6341; hotelparticulier.com. It’s currently open from 9 a.m. Tuesday–Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday.

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