Good People, Good Places. Le Voxx, Lyon.

In the run up to the opening of our new Partnership Store in Lyon this autumn, we are spending time with some of the independent spaces and the people in them that give our new neighbourhood its character. This time, we are at Le Voxx, a favourite for Lyon locals. Whether it is food, drinks or DJs, the venue keeps the community coming together from day to night.

Le Voxx takes its name from a British record label and was once a regular meeting place for the local mod scene, and today, that spirit still lingers. The bar and cafe has become a spot where people congregate and stay for a while, sometimes even longer.

It feels inhabited, not designed. There’s a warmth you feel when a place is genuinely welcoming, and when people want to stay a little longer, talk a little more, and be a part of that atmosphere, rather than just pass through it.—Guz, Dope Store.

While the view of the river and surrounding areas on the terrace is worth a slow afternoon on the terrace, inside, Le Voxx is the perfect blend of design-led and welcoming.

A mix of materials are used for the interior, from marble counter-tops to tiled floors, wood panelling and powder-coated metal seating, creating a layered, textured backdrop. A light, bright space during the day, the team have used mid-century inspired lighting to set the mood once the sun sets and the constant rotation of underground DJs play everything from acid-jazz to funk and hip-hop until the early hours.

Art from local artists decorates the walls, plants span the windowsills, and a football table takes pride of place in front of a painted mural. Anything goes, yet everything works together. This is not a place that is curated; instead, it has become over time the exact space it needed to be.

People come, people go, conversations overlap, regulars know the space. There is a kind of rhythm here that means it is entirely possible to start here in the morning and stay until the early hours of the next day.

Keep an eye out for our next instalment of Good People, Good Places: Lyon, and read all our previous spotlights on the Journal.