Restaurant, bar and hybrid club in Paris thanks to founder Alexander Rash

For me, the Place des Vosges was a happy accident of social mobility. I had found a job on Craigslist to look after a showroom during fashion week in Paris. From there, I met the owner of the premises: Maître Binoche, an auctioneer. We started to collaborate together on various projects. Then I convinced him to let me take charge of the of the showroom basement. This forgotten cellar which became one year later - by dint of determination and hard work - Serpent à Plume. Since then, I have promised myself that I will bring a sizeable dose of magic to the Place des Vosges with this place and what happens here every evening.

I met Vincent Darré thanks to mutual friends. I think we both have a lot of imagination and our personalities are well synchronised. Vincent and his team are aesthetes, and we created the universe of the Serpent à Plume together.

I grew up in the American Midwest, which is very much influenced by the 50s and 70s and also by bowling, which is currently one of my favourite pastimes. I felt it was quite groovy. After I arrived in Paris, my ideas of style evolved. Today, I am inspired by the great French names such as Jacques Majorelle, Jean Royère and Bernard Van Riesen Burgh. I think it's essential to feel some personality in a space. Every day, I feel like I'm welcoming friends into my home.

The primary thing for me is to create a place where meetings are possible, and ideas are developed. You will undoubtedly meet my worldly financial friend, Cesio The Cat. Or even, more discreet, but just as important in the landscape of Serpent à Plumes: Miss Téa who is the very young and talented artist who creates the drawings that announce my evening events. At the bar, Mr. Tendo Lee Fuk will probably tell you about his travels in the China seas. And beware of the song of the Slavic sirens on the edges of our jacuzzi, who may be after your money. A significant number of other characters from the four corners of society come together happily at Serpent à Plume: from the passionate art collector to the uncomplicated drag queens, and the young romantic who comes to us to find a little taste of the picturesque that he misses so much in the Paris of our time.

Serpent à Plume is, for me, an excellent training and experimentation ground because its definition remains nebulous. Naturally, we offer real services but I try to create a total experience that will stimulate all the senses. Le Serpent à Plume is ultimately a manifestation of what we consider to be a pleasant experience. And if its magic evaporates, I'll turn it into a bowling alley. "Onwards and upwards!"