Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design Maison Francois Restaurant by John Whelan The design of Maison Francois aims to evolve the brasserie genre. Rather than looking to the Art Deco period for inspiration, GSL embraced Postmodernism and Brutalism, most notably referencing Ricardo Bofill’s La Fabrica in Barcelona, with its grand terracotta arches and rough cement ceiling. The layout of the restaurant nevertheless follows a classic brasserie format, with noble materials throughout and details that evoke iconic establishments of the past.